Takato's Light
by leonardo1123581321
Summary: Because of a move to Odaiba, a teenage Takato is forced to start over again at Odaiba Public High School. His heart becomes torn between two loves, but a new enemy appears to carry out its plans. New friends will unite to fight the greatest evil yet. Adventure 02 x Tamers Crossover; TakatoxHikari
1. The New School

Disclaimer: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea be

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Well, needless to say, creepingshadow gave me another story idea he wanted to come to fruition. I've wanted to start writing for a while since I thought it was a fresh idea but time constraints and previous commitments kept me busy. The story was also something of a challenge since I've never actually tried writing a story that holds a positive light. Still, I do love challenges and I have been wanting to write a story unrelated to Naruto or videogames for some time so this is the perfect opportunity. Thanks to creepingshadow for the idea. So, without further hesitation, I give you: Takato's Light.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 1: The New School**

Takato looked up and down the halls of his new high school. It felt like a dream. The kind of dream where you're not so sure if its real or not and you want to throw up because of it. But Takato knew this wasn't a dream. This was real and, unlike a dream, he couldn't wake up to make his problems go away. He felt awkward, standing in the hallway as the other students went past him to talk with their friends or head to their classes. It was officially the first day of his sophomore year in High School. Or rather his new High School. His parents decided to move out of their bakery and move to the neighborhood of Odaiba to expand their bakery business. Their old bakery was left in the hands of a family of three, a couple and their newborn, who worked for Takato's parents. His parents purchased an apartment and a vacant lot which they were using to build their new bakery.

He had left a lot behind in his old place. Particularly his friends: Kazu, Kenta, Ryo, Rika, Henry and his sister Suzie, the sibling Ai and Mako and his long time girlfriend Jeri. Or rather, ex-girlfriend. Despite their best intentions, Takato couldn't help but feel one sided by the whole decision to move which they made without his opinion. They tried to consol him by saying he would be able to make new friends, attend a better school, and maybe even meet a better girl.

But all they did was aggravate Takato. What did they mean by meet a better girl? There was no better girl! There was only Jeri in his eyes and nothing more. They knew Takato wanted to stay because he couldn't maintain a long distance relationship with her, but they were adamant. Sure, they didn't actually leave the City of Tokyo, but the distance between the districts of Odaiba and Kodaira would take most of the day for either Takato or Jeri to travel. This was made worse since Odaiba was actually an island district off the coast of mainland Tokyo and the bridge was closed to travel outside vehicular means.

His parents tried to patch things up multiple times, even offering to drive him to Jeri's whenever he wanted. Takato, on the other hand, was not going to forgive them so quickly. Especially since both of them were so busy with the bakery that they wouldn't have time to drive him anyway, let alone teach him.

Still, what was done was in the past. Nothing could change that. Takato pushed these thoughts aside, looking down at the map in his hands and his schedule. It read:

**Period 1 – Room 210 - 09:00 to 09:55 – Algebra **

**Period 2 – Room 310 - 10: 00 to 10:55– Literature **

**Period 3 – Room 325 - 11:00 to 11:55 – Advanced Writing **

**Period 4 – Room 100 - 12:00 to 12:55 – Lunch/Study **

**Period 5 – Room 250 - 01:00 to 01:55 – Chemistry **

**Period 6 – Room 265 - 02:00 to 02:55 – Physics **

**Period 7 – Room 150 - 03:00 to 03:55 – Physical Education **

**Locker: 321 Combination: 10-32-43 Student ID: 13756-B2**

After glancing at the map, Takato realized he had to go to his locker on the third floor which was, thankfully, next to his 3rd period class. Unfortunately, this also meant it was at the top floor of the school which somehow had failed to afford elevators. Takato sighed as he folded the papers, placed them in his pocket for later and went down the hallway to the staircase.

He climbed the stairs quietly when an unexpected soccer ball appeared. In one almost synchronized motion, Takato stepped on the ball, lost his footing and fell backwards. Moments before falling backwards though, someone grabbed his hand and held him up, "I gotcha."

"Thank you," Takato said stupidly, regaining his footing and picking up the ball and handing it to his rescuer, "I take it this is yours."

He was a boy slightly taller than Takato with a darker shade of brunette hair and goggles that clung to his head. He adorned himself in a black sweatshirt under a blue vest lined with more zippers and chains than Takato thought was possible. He wore a pair of tan shorts that ended just at his knees. Strangely though, he wore a pair of soccer shoes with the logo of Tokyo Verdy on them.

"Yep," the boy said, "The name's Motomiya Daisuke! You're looking at the next star of the Tokyo Verdy!"

"I'm Takato," Takato answered, "I just moved here and I don't know anyone here so…"

"Well then, you bumped into the right guy!" Daisuke interrupted, "I know all there is to know about this school. In fact, I'll be more than happy to give you the grand tour!"

"Oh, thanks," Takato said. He didn't know why but there was something unnerving about Daisuke. He was too much like Kazu, minus the jerk attitude. Daisuke grabbed the sheet out of Takato's hand and grinned, "All right! Your locker's right next to mine and we have lunch the same period. Awesome, I'll be able to introduce you to the others."

"Others?" Takato asked. Daisuke nodded happily, "Yeah! But first, let's find your locker."

Daisuke led the way down the hall and around several corners until they came across Takato's locker. As Daisuke promised, it was right next to his own. Unfortunately, just as Takato opened it, he found the previous owner had left a carton of milk that had expired two years ago and a picture of a woman in very revealing clothing. Takato groaned and ripped the picture off the door, "Who does this kind of sick stuff?"

"Right…sick," Daisuke repeated, pushing his forefingers together. Takato crumpled the picture in his hand and through it into the nearest garbage can. He then reached for the expired milk but retracted his hand when he felt how squishy it felt. Takato pulled a piece of paper out of his bag and used it to pick the carton out of the locker. After quickly dispensing it, he asked, "Are all the lockers like this?"

"Some," Daisuke answered, going red in the face, "It depends who used it before."

"Geez, there's got to be some sick people in this school," Takato said bluntly, failing to notice how white Daisuke's face had become. Takato shut his locker after tossing in some notebooks and his bag, remembering to keep his schedule in his binder.

"Alright, so why don't I show you where your first period is then?" Daisuke offered. Takato smiled, "That would be nice."

"Hey! Daisuke!" a blonde haired boy called from down the hall. He was wearing an unzipped, yellow, turtle-neck sweater over a green shirt. His pants were also green, but ended at his ankles just so that his white socks were barely visible under his pair of yellow sneakers.

"Hi Takeru," Daisuke answered, "TK, I'd like you to meet Takato. Takato, this is Takeru. Everyone calls him TK for short though."

"It's nice to meet you," Takato said. TK smiled and said, "Likewise. I take it Daisuke has already given you the _grand tour_?"

'No not yet," Takato answered. TK nudged him in the chest and said, "Trust me: don't listen to a word he says. He's a goofball."

"Am not!" Daisuked protested angrily.

"Oh really? What about that milk and picture you left in the locker next to yours?" Takeru asked. Daisuked scratched his nose, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Wait that was you?" Takato asked. Daisuke's face flushed and he said, "Hey! I'm not the one on trial here!"

"You are if you left expired milk in my locker," Takato exasperatedly said. Daisuke immediately through his hands in the air, "Um…okay, I can explain that…it was…um…cats?"

"Cats?" Takato repeated.

"Boy Daisuke, you really need to work on your excuses," TK said half sympathetically, half mockingly. Takato couldn't help but smile a little. TK and Daisuke entered a small argument, which filled Takato with mixed feelings of nostalgia and happiness. These two were almost exactly like Kenta and Kazu. It bothered Takato to think that they could and probably would replace Kazu and Kenta, his childhood friends. It was made worse when he came to the realization that someone could probably even replace Jeri eventually. No, that could never be possible. No one could ever replace Kazu or Kenta as his friends and no one would ever take Jeri's place in his heart.

_DING! DONG!_

"Oh, there's the bell," TK said, "I'll catch you two later, okay?"

"Alright, see ya TK," Daisuke called as the young blonde disappeared around a corner. Daisuke rubbed the back of his head, "Eh…so, sorry about your locker."

"Don't worry about it," Takato said. Daisuke nodded, "Alright, so I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

"Sure," Takato said to his new friend. Daisuke smiled and walked off, while Takato closed his locker. He quickly ran to his first class to avoid getting in trouble on his first day.

**Author's Notes: ** And there you have it, the first chapter of this new story. I know it seems a little short, but bare with me for the time. I'm still getting the hang of writing this kind of story genre so give me some time to work it out. If you loved it, drop a comment in the review sections. Constructive criticism works too. Until then, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out.


	2. The First Impressions

Disclaimer: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Hi Everyone! Thanks for all the support in the first chapter. I'm really glad that so many people enjoyed the chapter even though it was my first real attempt at writing a high school romance fic. To those of you who disliked the story and decided to spam my email with flames, I would like to say: FUCK OFF! I will not write a TakeruxHikari just because you don't like the story's pairing. If you really want a TakeruxHikari then go look for some in the search menu. Or better yet, write your own fan fiction. I suggest you learn how to write first since your emails suggest you have a third grade education. To those of you who loved the story, thanks and I hope you continue to enjoy reading this story all the way to the end. Since Takato's Light hit off better than I expected it would, I decided to give the story a monthly update schedule so that it wouldn't conflict with the update schedule for Oyabun. For those of you still waiting for an update from YinYang, please be patient. The story will update after I have resolved some technical issues with my computer's hard drive. Once it is resolved, there will be an update. And now, I want to respond to those of you who reviewed:

**Alamodie: **I'm glad you liked the story and I hope you become a frequent reader. Yes, lockers do have locks but remember: It was Daisuke's old locker. That's how he was putting garbage in it. Yes it is a weird bell, but I can't say I know how bells work in Japanese Schools, so I made a guess. Yes, I know it is long but I don't really care that much. Just call me: leo.

**Theban118: **Thank you for your very kind compliments. To be honest, Creepingshadow proposed this story to me a long time ago. I had only watched the first season at the time so I had to find the episodes of Adventure 02 and Tamers to get the characters just right. I don't think I nailed Miyako right, but whose counting?

**Creepingshadow: **Don't worry about repaying me, I'm just happy to be of help.

**Zwig: **Well I'm happy you found my story. I'm not familiar with this genre, so I'm happy that people like you are happy with it the way it is. I hope I can write further chapters to your liking and that you will become a frequent reader.

**Pokeme: **Thank you.

**Dapster: **I haven't entirely worked out the full details but I can assure you that the story will be centered around their high school interactions. Despite that, these characters are still digidestined and their digimon will still be an important part of the story.

**Pokejim: **I intend to update as often as I can. Don't worry though, the story will not forget our favorite digi'mon.

**Battosai25: **Thanks for the review. I intend to focus the story around Hikari and Takato mostly but I may show it from a third perspective depending on the situation.

**Charlotte: **Wait no more, for your update is here!

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 2: The First Impressions**

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari sat at her desk, viewing the photos she had saved onto her camera. She was intently admiring a photo she had taken during their last day in the digital world several years ago, when there were only eight chosen children. Surrounding the eight children were each of their digimon partners and several other digimon. What got her the most was how much each of the digi destined changed over the years. Each of them seemed to have gone their separate ways now that they were done with High school, and it felt like the last remnants of the Japanese digidestined were herself, Takeru, Daisuke, Iori, Ken and Miyako.

She smiled weakly when she thought about how many adventures they had when they were still the digidestined. It seemed like those days were so long ago, like a long forgotten memory that seemed like a dream. But dreams were the same thing as imagination. No matter how hard you wanted to believe, it would never be real. The only proof of its existence was in your memories. This wasn't a product of her imagination or a dream. That photo was living evidence that it happened. Perhaps the only evidence.

The original digidestined were not as close as they used to be so long ago. Most of them had gone their separate ways, with rare occasions where they would bump into each other or have reunions. It worried her. Would the same thing happened when she was as old as her brother? Would she be so caught up in her own work that she would slowly lose her friends? She whimpered at the thought but was able to bring herself under in time to see Takeru take his seat in the desk beside her. The last thing she wanted was for him to be worried.

"Hi TK," she greeted. TK smiled, "Hey. Are you excited?"

"Yep," she answered, "It's been so long since all twelve of us were back together."

She fell silent, not realizing that Takeru was giving her a worried look. This weekend was the planned reunion of the eight original digidestined plus the four new digidestined. Everyone had promised to be there. Everyone but one Yagami Taichi. In truth, she was worried for her brother. How long had it been she had last seen him? How many months had gone without so much as a letter or an email? He made one phone call, apologizing to her and their parents because he had been wrapped in his projects and assignments, but there was no sincerity in his voice. It hurt her. Why was he being so distant? He was supposed to be her brother and even she couldn't understand him. It was like he was trying to isolate himself, to place as much distance between himself and his friends.

"Hikari?" Takeru said. Hikari realized that Takeru's hand was on hers, and that he was looking at her comfortingly, "Don't worry. I'm sure Taichi will be there."

"Do you think so?" Hikari asked. Takeru nodded, "Yeah."

"Hey Takeru!" Miyako said, appearing at the door and taking her seat at the desk in front of TK's. Takeru quickly pulled his hand away from Hikari's.

"So TK," Miyako began, "Who was that guy you and Daisuke were talking to? Is he new? I've never seen him in the school."

"Oh him…I think his name was Takato," Takeru answered, "He's new here so Daisuke was going to give him the grand tour before I showed up. You girls will meet him at lunch. Daisuke invited him to the table."

"He was kind of cute," Miyako said, her cheeks turning a deep shade of pink which made Hikari giggle. Miyako had taken on a good portion of Mimi's personality since the start of the semester, including the part where she ogled all the _cute_ boys in the school. Ken, who enrolled in their school to be with Miyako, was the only person who didn't seem even slightly bothered by it. On the contrary, Ken was perfectly fine with it since he knew many girls ogled him when he wasn't looking. Ken reasoned that since so many girls ogled him that it would be okay if Miyako ogled other boys as long as she never did it around Ken. This proved easy for Miyako, since her eyes were never off Ken whenever he was around her.

Theirs was a relationship no one could ever hope to understand. But at least Miyako had a stable relationship, which was far from what Hikari could say. She couldn't say she really liked anyone beyond the idea of a friend. There was Takeru but that was a long dead crush. Maybe at some point it could have been a possibility, but that was a long time ago. They had been honest with each at the end of junior high but at that point they had become too close. They were almost like and siblings at that time. It would have been too awkward. Besides Hikari was content with things the way they were. She really liked TK, just more as a brother. Like the one Taichi had suddenly become too busy to be.

_DONG! DING!_

The second bell rang, signaling the start of the first class of the day.

………………

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato walked into the lunch room, standing awkwardly at the door and scanning the room for any sign of either Daisuke or TK. To his dismay, the mass of students gathered to buy food made it hard to see where they were. Takato decided to wander around the room, hoping to find them. Unfortunately, people were taking their seats quickly and talking with their friends animatedly. Takato panicked. He needed to find them fast or he would look like some kind of idiot. He looked around one last time before deciding they were not in that section of the room. Walking quickly, Takato went to another part of the giant room.

He breathed a sigh of relief, as he saw TK sitting at a table in the center of the room talking with three others:

The first was a girl with short brunette hair dressed in a pink tank top and matching fingerless gloves that ran up to her shoulders. She wore yellow shorts that were held up by a loose brown belt. Perhaps the most distinguishing part of her appearance was the camera that hung from around her neck and the hair clip that held her hair up. If Takato didn't know any better, he would have sworn that he was looking at Jeri with shorter hair. Takato had to rub his eyes to prove to himself that he wasn't looking at her. As much as he wanted to believe that Jeri was sitting right in front of him, he knew it was impossible. When Takato opened his eyes again, he saw for himself that it was not Jeri but was in fact another girl entirely.

Beside her was another girl with long, flowing purple hair that came to a stop at her waist. She wore a white turtle necked sweater over a red dress that ran all the way down to her legs past her knees. She wore a pair of orange sneakers on her feet and purple socks that ran up and disappeared past her legs.

She eyed a boy across the table with shoulder length dark blue hair. The boy didn't seem to notice this at all and instead focused his attention on TK. Even weirder was his attire, which consisted of the gray slacks and white dress shirt of a private school. Despite his misplaced appearance, the boy seemed quite at ease despite the heavy stares he was receiving from the nearby girls. In fact, he seemed completely oblivious to the many faces that were watching him.

Just then, a hand fell on Takato's shoulder. Takato spun around to see Daisuke looking at him happily, "Hey, there you are. Sorry, I forgot to tell you where we sat at during lunch."

"Don't worry about it," Takato answered, relieved to at least see a familiar face. Daisuke scratched the back of his head, "Okay. Come on, I'll introduce you to them."

Daisuke boldly took the lead, with Takato in tow behind him, towards the table. As if his goal was to draw as much attention to himself as possible, Daisuke slammed a hand on the table and said, "HEY GUYS!"

"Way to make an entrance Daisuke," the purple haired girl said rolling her eyes until they came to a stop on Takato. Her eyes lit up and she jumped out of her seat, "Hi, I'm Miyako! You must be Takato."

"Eh…hi Miyako," Takato said, leaning back because of how uncomfortably close Miyako was. She held her hand out to shake Takato's but pulled back instantaneously. Takato raised an eyebrow as she sat back down, her face turning a very bright red, "Sorry about that, I got carried away."

"It's alright," Takato answered sheepishly, while everyone else laughed. The blue haired boy stood up next, with his arm stretched out across the table. The two shook hands before the boy introduced himself, "Hi Takato, My name is Ken Ichijouji."

"You don't happen to mean former boy genius Ken Ichijoji, do you?" Takato asked. The smile of Ken's face disappeared, replaced by anguish, "Sure, if you want to say that."

"Eh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything. I was just asking. You understand, right?" Takato said apologetically, throwing his hands up in the air. Ken shook his head and smiled, "No it's alright. I just don't like being thought of as the boy _genius _anymore."

"Oh," Takato answered in surprise, "Why not?"

"There are just some things I want to put behind me, okay?" Ken said agitatedly. Takato was taken aback by the tone of Ken's voice. _Way to go Takato_, he thought to himself, _You made him angry on your first day. Some first impression you're making_.Wanting to change the subject, Takato asked, "So why are you wearing a school uniform?"

"Well, you see I used to go to a private school before I transferred to Odaiba," Ken answered, "And I was so used to wearing my old school's uniform that I just wear it to school now."

"Wow, that's cool," Takato said in surprise.

"Wait, Ken used to go to a private school?" Daisuke interrupted, which resulted in groans from Miyako, Takeru, Ken, and the Jeri look-alike. The brunette said to Daisuke, "Why else do you think he would have that uniform Daisuke?"

"Oh yeah!" Daisuke said in surprise. He wrapped his arm around the brunette girl and happily announce, "Takato I'd like you to meet my girl, Yagami Hikari."

"What do you mean by _your girl_ Daisuke?" Hikari said through a piercing gaze. Daisuke immediately let her go and said, "Oh…you know, nothing in particular."

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you Takato," Hikari said. She reached out to shake Takato's hand. Just as their hands met, a sudden electric shock forced the two to contract their hands. A numbing, tingling sensation ran through Takato's arm. _What was that just now_, Takato thought to himself as he slowly regained feeling in his arm. When he finally regained all the feeling in his arm, he realized that everyone was looking from him to Hikari and back.

"What?" Takato asked, befuddled.

"Nothing," everyone but Hikari sang in unison.

………………

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

After school that day, Hikari was walking home with Miyako to pick up Iori who was still in Junior High. Normally, Hikari enjoyed these walks with Miyako since it served as the time when she and Miyako could talk freely about the boys in the school. Unfortunately, today was different since Miyako was bothering Hikari about the incident in the lunch room.

"So why was your face red the rest of the day?" Miyako asked for what felt like the hudrendth time.

"No reason," HIkari answered weakly, "it's just very hot today. That's all."

"Are you kidding?" Miyako responded, "It's spring and we're wearing jackets. Just admit it, you thought he was cute."

At that remark, Hikari's face flushed, "What? I don't like him, Miyako."

"I never said you did," Miyako responded, "I just said you think he's cute. When you put it like that, it looks like you do like him. I mean look at yourself. You're as red as a tomato."

"Can we drop the subject, please?" Hikari pleaded. She really didn't want to think about Takato at that moment. While it may have been a better alternative to sulking about her distant her brother had become, it was still not a subject she was comfortable talking about. What did Miyako care about who Hikari liked? It's not like Miyako needed to know about her love life. That was Hikari's private business. It's not like she butted into MIyako and Ken's relationship.

"Oh come on Hikari," Miyako said, "What's wrong?"

"I just don"t want to talk about it, okay?" Hikari said, not realizingly how angry she sounded. As she kept walking, it occurred to her that Miyako was no longer right beside her. She looked back to see her standing some feet back, "Hikari, is everything alright? I've never seen you so worked up before.

"I'm sorry Miyako," Hikari apologized, "I guess I'm just a little worried about Taichi."

"You think he might not show up?" Miyako asked more than said. Hikari nodded, "He hasn't called in months, he doesn't write us any letter or emails. Its like he disappeared."

"He's probably busy with college," Miyako said patronizingly, "It's waht happened to my siblings when they went to college."

"But Tai was never like that," Hikari pointed out, "You know how he gets. He doesn't like it when me or our parents worry. He would never do anything to let that happen. We've tried calling him, but he never anwsers. He won't respond to our emails. It's like he doesn't want anything to do with us. It's..."

Hikari didn't know it, but her eyes had become wet with tears. Feeling theem about to burst out of her eyes, she blinked furiously to force them back. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her, "Don't cry Hikari. It's not your fault. You have every right to be worried. I'll you what, why don't we head over there tommorrow. It is a weekend."

Hikari didn't answer instead, burying her face in Miyako's shoulder. MIyako patted her gently, "I'll tell you what. The new bakery that just opened up is down the street and Iori doesn't get out of school for another fifteen minutes. Why don't we get some hot chocolate and warm ourselves up?"

Hikari, sounding childish, sniffled, "O...okay."

...

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato wrapped the apron around his waist as soon as he came down from his room, "I'm back from school!"

"Hi Takato!" his mother said happilly, "Could you give me a hand with the rolls? They were supposed to be in the display case but your father had to run out and get some more ingredients from the dough. We ran out and it's not even our second day."

"Sure thing," Takato said quietly, grabbing a tray of wheat rolls from the counter and walking them to the front of the store to place them in the window case. He started stacking them like a pyramid to add appeal to the bread. It was a trick his parents had taught him when he had first started in the bakery: Image is EVERYTHING! If it doesn't look good, it won't sell. Naturally, from having grown up in a bakery, Takato had learned several tricks to make his parent's bread look more appealing than the competitors. For some reason, stacking the hard rolls like buildings almost managed to draw the crowd's eye a lot better than just placing it on a shelf with twelve others like it. Similarly, using corn meal as topping also worked because of its flavor and granulated nature which gave the bread a light and flaky texture.

It was just another perk of having bakers for parents. Takato's favorite perk, out of all the ones he'd had so far, was the free baked pastries and bread. Of course most of that went to his partner Guilmon because of his near insatiable appetite. Not that Takato complained about it. On the contrary, he thought it was funny that Guilmon almost always seemed to conclude that all food was bread and that it was good. Takato sighed at the memory.

How long had it been since he last saw his partner? Two...maybe three years? It had been so long ago that Takato had forgotten. What kind of tamer was he that he couldn't even remember the last time that he saw his own partner? Worse yet that he made almost no effort to find him. Takato had almost instantaneously given up after the battle with the D-Reaper and the seperation of the Digital and Real Worlds. The bell rang as the door came open and, instinctually, Takato smiled at the entrants, "Hello! Welcome to the Matsuda Family Bakery. How may I help you?"

"Oh Hi! It was Takato, right?" said an enthusiastic Miyako, accompanied by a rather down trodden Hikari. Surprise had completely overwhelmed Takato, "Oh, hi Miyako, Hikari."

"Hi," Hikari replied sheepishly. Her eyes were a slight pink, as if she were crying. Takato, who was always sensitive to these kind of things, was compelled to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Oh? It's nothing," Hikari said, her gaze slowly drifting to the floor. Before Takato could press the matter any further, his mom called from within the bakery, "Is everything alright Takato?"

"Yeah mom!" Takato called into the back, "So what can I do for you two?"

"Actually, we were wondering if you guys sold hot chocolate," Miyako pointed out, "It's a little chilly outside so we were hoping to get something that could warm us up a little bit."

"Okay sure, let me just get some from around back," Takato answered, walking into the kitchen behind the bakery to boil some water. As the kettle of water was being warmed, Takato went through the cupboards to find the cocoa mix. After a few minutes, Takato returned to the front with two steaming cups of chocolate, "The chocolates ready."

"Okay thanks," Miyako said, taking her cup and bringing it to her lips. Hikari hesitated at first but finally took her cup although she did not immediately start drinking it. Takato sensed her hesitation and asked, 'Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh no," Hikari said rather distantly, "I was just thinking."

"Well if you say so," Takato said. Hikari was avoiding something, but Takato didn't know what. It troubled him to see her like this. Mostly because looking at her reminded him too much of Jeri, which was disturbing enough as it was. In a way, it was heart wrenching, not because she was upset, but because looking at her reminded Takato of Jeri. But no matter how much she looked like Jeri, Takato knew she would never be Jeri. It was ludicrous to even think that way. Jeri was the only one for Takato, and that was that was that. There was nothing more to it. In fact, Takato should hurt himself for even thinking like that. It was ridiculous.

"So what's the total come to?" Miyako asked. Takato, revived from his daze, shook his head and said, "Oh that? Don't worry about it. It's on the house."

"Thanks! If you ever need anything just ask, okay?" Miyako said happilly. The two girls left the bakery, one cheerful and the other slightly uplifted, leaving a rather bewildered Takato. Why would he do that? He had no money to pay for that and money was really tight around the bakery. Was he off his rocker.

"It's nice to see you making friends," his mother suddenly said, appearing at the door way, "So, what do you think of that Hikari? She's pretty cute."

"MOM!" Takato replied, his face turning a bright shade of red. His mother only giggled and walked back into the bakery, 'See I told you you'd make new friends. Who knows? You might even get together with that Hikari girl!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takato growled. His mother then said something which she would later regret, "Well, you know how far away it is to Jeri's house and your father and I have no time to chauffeur you whenever you want. It's time to move on! Meet new people, make new friends, and find new loves!"

Takato, not wanting to hear another word, ran out the door in a sudden burst of speed. Before he closed the door, he heard his mother say, "TAKATO! WAIT I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!"

It was too late. Takato was long gone.

...

**Author's Notes: **Alas, I must end this chapter of Takato's Light. But Fear not, the next chapter will appear on Friday August 8th. If you loved the story, let me know in the reviews section. Since this is also a new genre for me, I will accept constructive criticism. Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	3. Depression

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Hey Guys! I Love that you're all really loving this story, even if it is my first time trying to write a high school romance fic. Thanks to everyone who left a comment in the reviews section. I'll admit I'm hitting some bumps in the road because I have no experience with this and what I do know comes from what other author's have written. Ultimately, my biggest dilemma is trying to balance their lives as teenagers with their duties as the digidestined without swaying in one direction too much or clinging to cliché story lines. I'm sorry for the one month delay, but there have been issues with my old computer that required me to get a new one because nothing was salvageable on my old one except the monitor. With that said, I'd like to thank everyone who has the read the story and enjoyed it.

**The Following is A Note for Whoever is still flaming my Email: **Don't even bother. I've changed my email address and only one other author on this site has it. I won't mention their penname for this person's safety but rest assured that we'll see how many of you have the balls to do it in the review's sections instead of my email.

With that said, I would like to respond to some reviews:

**Lord Pata: ** Yes and it happened again. This would make the second story where this happened. The first was Nentuoinai no Sato, which was flamed because I killed off Sakura. I did eventually bring her back but that only made people angrier. I dont know why they would do that, it makes no sense to me. In any case, let's see how many people have the balls to do it now that I changed my email. Don't worry, Patamon and Gatomon will be here, albeit in the next chapter.

**Super garurumon:** Well I'm glad you gave my story a chance, albeit I've never written this kind of story before. I know, I'm horrible for doing this to Takato. As for Tai, I agree. finally, yes, the digimon will make appearances so don't worry.

**Theban 118: **I'm glad you loved it and I hope you love the next chapter.

**arkofcreation1214:** Can and will! Here's the third chapter up and ready!

**Blue Bragon: **I'm not the first to do a Takato x Hikari, in fact there are a few out there. Most of them just tend to stop updating all together.

**Minxiee: **Well I'm glad you'll read the story in either situation and just for that: Veemon and Guilmon will appear!

**Yuki's Little Girl:** Thanks and yes. Guilmon is still Takato's partner, Guilmon is just somewhere in the digital world for the time being.

**Creepingshadow: **Sir! Yessir!

**Firehedgehog: **Thank you my good sir. Now I hope you enjoy the second chapter.

**Kisame53: **Yes it does, but I owe the concept mostly to creepingshadow. If it were my call, this would have been called: Taichi's Sky and would have been a Taichi x Sora.

**Zulag: **Thanks for the kinds words. To answer your question: I haven't worked out that detail yet. I didn't even consider it so thanks for reminding me.

And so, without further ado, I present the next installment of Takato's Light.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 3: Depression**

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

He ran. He didn't know how long, or how far but that wasn't important. In fact, he didn't even know where he was or where he was going. But that didn't matter – none of it mattered. So what if he got lost and never found out how to get back? It's not like he had anything important to get back to. He was too furious to even consider it.

He was too furious at his mother and her comment. She knew Takato could never like anyone the way he liked Jeri.

He loved Jeri. He cherished every moment he was with her. That was more dear to him than anything else in this world. How could he ever forsake that for someone else? Their time together meant everything to him. Yet, He had a a terrible way of showing his affection for her. He should have moved out of the house when his parents said they were moving. He could have run away. He should have voice his anger against it! He should have stayed in his old neighborhood. He should have stayed with everyone of his friends.

He should have stayed with his friends Kazu and Kenta. With the kids Suzie, Ai and Mako. With the tamers Ryo, Rika and Henry. And, more importantly, with Jeri.

As Takato ran further on down the winding street, he failed to realize the air get colder and the world around him get darker. The street lights that flickered to life moments ago with the setting sun sank back into darkness. The last beams of sunlight were disappearing one by one in a thick, mesh of dark clouds. A heavy mist slowly crept up behind him, gaining speed as if it were chasing him down the winding the street.

After what felt like an eternity of running, Takato came to a stop to catch his breath. Staring at his feet, hunched over with his hands resting on his knees, Takato came to the realization that he was standing on sand. A cold breeze sent chills down his spine. He looked up to see a vast, gray ocean before him. The wind the blew against him had no pull over the water. Waves did not crash against the shore and no splashes when Takato threw a pebble. Upon closer inspection, Takato realized the water was so dark and murky that he couldn't even seen his own reflection in the water. The vast body of water before his was dead.

Stepping away from the water, Takato observed the horizon where the setting sun was. Or rather, where it should have been. Far off in the horizon, where the gray ocean touched the pale sky, Takato could only see black storm clouds swirling in a violent tempest. Stepping backwards, Takato murmured, "I think I'll be going home now."

He turned around to go back onto the sidewalk to find: trees. Nothing but trees as far as his eye could see. Each tree was so full of life, with their greens leaves and pail bark, and yet equally dead. Dread overtook the boy, as he started to frantically look around. Where was he? How had he gotten here? His tracks! If he had been running, maybe he could follow his footsteps in the sand to get back. He stared at the sand beneath his feet to find, nothing. Sand, stones, some seaweed, but no tracks. Not even a shoe print.

Whatever hope Takato had sank away. Feeling helpless, Takato fell backwards onto the ground. He was lost and, worst yet, had no way of returning home. What was he going to do? In a frenzied panic, Takato wailed into the air, "HELP!"

...

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari guided herself home from Miyako's apartment through the dark, yet busy streets. The street lights blinked to life one by one down the road as the last gleams of sun light disappeared over the horizon. Lights came on in the windows of nearby apartments, signaling the return of couples and parents to their homes. She followed the familiar path back to her own home, where her mom was undoubtedly preparing another of her _famous_ recipes while her dad was lounging on the couch after a long day of work. For some reason, though, she found herself taking the scenic route across town. Nostalgia seemed to be the driving force because it led to her to a familiar crosswalk where her brother returned to the Digital World several years before, during the Myotismon Crisis.

The event replayed fresh in her mind: the glazed look in his eyes as he drifted away. How she had pleaded with him to stay, holding onto his hand as he floated higher and higher. He said that he needed to go and he was right. They both knew it without realizing it, that she didn't want to be left alone. That she wanted him to stay, even if it meant the destruction of the other digidestined and the digital world. When she finally came out of her trip through memory lane, there was a small grin on her face and the cross light finally turned white. Without hesitation, she raced across the street and into her apartment building. She was drawn by a strange desire to get home as fast as she could. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason every fiber in her being wanted to be in her room at that instant.

She fumbled with her keys, pressing them into the key hole and frantically turning it. Why was she in such a rush? She wasn't exactly expecting Taichi to be waiting inside when she finally got the door open. After unlocking the door with the third key, she went inside and kicked off her shoes.

"Welcome home Hikari! Dinner will be ready in a minute! We're having deep-fried three bean tuna salad!" her mother said enthusiastically.

"Hi mom!" Hikari said, forcing her most cheerful tone possible, running into her room and closing the door behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the door as if to keep it from opening on the other side. She wanted to be alone for the time being. Her room was dark, lit only by the soft glow of the computer which displayed a blank, white screen. She clicked the lock and lied down in her bed, staring blankly at the top bunk which used to be her brother's.

It was nothing but vacant space now, used only by Hikari to store her books and school work when she didn't need it. It was ironic that the bed belonging to Taichi, who hated anything school related, would become a bookshelf upon his leaving. Hikari chuckled at how he would react when he came home. Or rather, if he came home.

She turned in bed to face the door, staring expectantly for someone to walk through any moment.

"Is something wrong Hikari?" a pair of cat like eyes said in the darkness. Hikari shook her head, "No."

"It's not like you to sit around in the dark," the owner of these eyes said, emerging from the shadows. It was a white cat standing on its hind legs. It wore a pair of yellow gloves over its forepaws, and a golden ring embedded with a variety of symbols on its tail.

"I know Gatomon," Hikari said, "I guess I'm just feeling tired."

"Well lying around in the dark isn't going to help," the little cat said, jumping up onto her partner's lap and curling up into a ball, "Don't lie to me Hikari, I'm your partner. You're worried about your brother, right?"

Hikari had no idea how to answer. Was she really that easy to read? Takeru, Miyako, and Gatomon picked up on it right on the spot. Even Takato realized something was wrong and they had just met. She was pathetic, moping around all day about her brother. But how couldn't she be worried. No one had heard from him in ages.

"Hikari," Gatomon demanded.

"Ye-" she began only to be stopped by a ping from her computer. Hikari rose from her bed much to Gatomon's dismay since she had just gotten comfortable in Hikari's lap. A slight wiggle of the mouse brought the monitor to life, which was flashing the sign: You Have 1 New Message. With nothing else to do, Hikari sat down and opened up the new mystery email.

"Who's it from?" Gatomon asked, jumping up onto the table to get a better view of the monitor.

"It's from Koushiro," Hikari said to no one in particular as she began to read aloud, "Looking forward to the reunion this weekend. I might be a little late because of my semester project but don't wait up for me. I'll see you guys then, Koushiro. PS: Hikari, don't worry too much about Taichi. I've seen him around the campus a couple of times and he's fine, although I think he's a little overworked. I'm sure he'll make it to the reunion."

"He's fine, see?" Gatomon reasoned, jumping off the table. Hikari wanted to agree, but if that was true then why didn't Taichi write? The least he could do was call them. Why didn't he though? She always thought she had her brother figured out but maybe she didn't. Was there a side of Taichi she didn't even know about?

"I should have sneaked some more fish out of your fridge," Gatomon suddenly pointed out, rubbing her stomach.

"Don't worry," Hikari said half-heartedly, "We're having deep fried fish in a salad, I think."

"Sounds good," Gatomon purred hungrily, "Be sure to save me a plate. In fact, make that two plates."

Hikari smiled as her cat like digimon curled up into a ball on her bed and fell back asleep. She envied that. Nothing ever seemed to bother Gatomon, and if it did she was still able to sleep her worries away. She always had an unparalleled ability when it came to her calm demeanor.

"Hikari! Dinner's ready!" her mother called from within the kitchen. Just as her mother said this, Gatomon's ears propped up in excited anticipation. Hikari took this as her cue to get something to eat, if not for herself then for Gatomon.

...

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

"Where is he?" her worried voice resounded. It was his mother's voice that carried the terrified tone, "It's getting late! I'm going to go look for him."

"Honey," his father's voice answered, "I think you're the last person he wants to see right now. It's probably best if we let him walk it off."

"He's been gone for four hours!" his mother argued, "It's already dark out! He's probably lost somewhere out there- cold, hungry, and alone. I can't just sit here knowing my son is out there!"

"He's my son too," his father stated, "But let's face it: he wanted to stay in our old neighborhood. The only reason he agreed to this whole thing was because he knew it's what we wanted. If it was his decision, he would have stayed in the old bakery. He pretty much left everything behind for us."

At that moment, he chose to push the door open and drag himself inside. His parents looked on in fear at first, but it quickly turned into relief upon seeing him, "Takato!"

"Takato!" his mother began immediately, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said earlier."

She moved forward to hug him, but he suddenly willed himself out of her reach. He stepped backwards just as she was about to wrap her arms around him and growled, "Don't touch me."

His parents exchanfged horrified faces as he brushed past them. He raced into his room, not wanting to look at them more than he had to. As he closed the door of his room behind him, he heard his mother dejectedly whisper, "Takato."

...

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

The next morning, Hikari was on her way to Miyako, Iori and Takeru's apartment building. It was a ritual that had become part of her morning routine as a promise by the six children to stay close friends even through college and beyond. A cold breeze blew gently, tickling her already cold body. In an effort to stay warm, she closed the zipper on her pink coat and hugged her bag close. When she finally arrived, she was met not only by Miyako, Iori and Takeru but Daisuke and Ken as well. They all wore sullen looks on their faces, bearing equal parts worry and doubt.

Whatever was troubling them seemed forgotten once Iori's eyes rested on Hikari, "Oh, hello Hikari."

"Hi guys," Hikari returned the greeting cheerfully, "What's going on?"

"Well..." Miyako yelped suddenly, leering at Daisuke distastefully. Taking the hint, Daisuke started whistling innocently with his hands folded behind his back. Clicking her tongue angrily, Miyako went on, "We were just talking about the reunion tomorrow and how everyone has pretty much agreed to show up except for your brother."

"So we thought that since the reunion isn't until noon, we could all go to Tokyo University and find out what Taichi is doing," Takeru pitched in.

"And if we have to, we'll drag him to the reunion!" Daisuke declared nonchalantly, punching his fist into the air excitedly. He earned sighs from everyone except Hikari who appreciated the thought.

"We could, Daisuke, if we wanted to get arrested for kidnapping," Ken explained bluntly.

"Oh right," Daisuke sank back, "Sorry."

"Thanks anyway Daisuke," Hikari smiled cheerfully, which put a smile back on his face. Iori bowed at them and said, "Well, I have to go."

"But Iori, school doesn't start for another fifteen minutes for you," Miyako pointed out. Iori shook his head, "Father always said to arrive at school early to greet the teachers and prepare for a day of study."

"Oh okay," Miyako said disheartedly as Iori walked off. No one ever challenged Iori when it came to some lesson or moral his now deceased father had given him. Iori was equal parts stubborn and respectful when it came to those issues. He never went against any of them and was more than ready to defend these beliefs if they ever challenged. In one case, Iori refused to leave the cafeteria because he hadn't finished his tomato. His teacher assured him that he could throw it away if he was full but Iori countered it, saying his father always said to finish your plate. When the teacher tried to take the plate away, Iori growled and snatched it back. Ultimately, the teacher leaned of Iori's conviction to his father and never bothered him again.

"I'll see you guys after school," Iori waved as he turned a corner.

"Right we should get going too," Miyako chimed, taking the lead with Ken. Everyone else followed behind the two who were walking hand in hand down the street heavy with the morning traffic. They had only gone a few blocks done the road when Miyako pointed at a building across the street and said, "Hey! There's that bakery that Takato's family owns!"

"Takato's parents own a bakery?" Daisuke asked, "Man, he must get a lot of free doughnuts."

"And hot chocolate too," Miyako added, "He gave me and Hikari some yesterday on our way to Iori's school."

"Do you think he'll give us some doughnuts if we ask?" Daisuke's mouth watered.

"I don't think he'll mind too much," Miyako said, "He did give us that hot chocolate for free."

"Alright!" Daisuke cried running straight across the street for the door just as Miyako could say, "Hey wait!"

Miyako chased after Daisuke, who had already run inside the bakery. With heavy reluctance, the other digidestined followed the two inside the bakery. Inside, the air was heavy with the smell of fresh dough and sugar. A woman appeared from out of the back with a tray filled with ring doughnuts covered in chocolate and vanilla frosting.

"Oh, hello! Welcome to the Matsuda Family Bakery. I'll be right with you in a moment," the woman said. Moving gracefully past the teens, she placed the tray in a display case by the window and returned behind the counter, "So, what can I do for you this morning?"

"Actually, we came in to get some of the doughnuts," Daisuke said, wandering over to the display and grabbing a fistful of waxpaper. The woman smiled and said, "Well, help yourselves. I have some more doughnuts in the back and I'd be more than happy to get them if you want it."

"Sweet!" Daisuke cheered, earning a nudge in the shoulder from Hikari, "OW! What was that for?"

"Don't pig out Daisuke, we still have to get to school," Hikari explained. The woman only smiled and retreated into the back of the bakery. When she reemerged, she was holding two trays in her hands: one full of long johns and the other with cake donuts and donut holes. Gliding past the group again, she set the trays inside the case and said, "Feel free to help yourselves."

"Okay, thanks Mrs. Matsuda!" Daisuke said, as he started pulling rings and longs johns off the shelf and placing them into a white paper bag. Hikari could only sigh as her friends started to help themselves to whatever was on display. Still, something felt off. Hikari couldn't explain it but there seemed to be a large empty void in the bakery with nothing to cover it. What could it have been though? Then it struck her. Takato wasn't here.

"Mrs. Matsuda, where's Takato?" Hikari asked the woman who was now holding a trough full of corn meal.

"Takato? He left for school after he warmed up the oven and put some dough into the proofers," she said sheepishly, "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, we were in here yesterday," Hikari answered. Mrs. Matsuda's face lit up instantaneously, "Oh, you must be Hikari. I thought I recognized your voice."

Hikari nodded and smiled, "Yeah."

"Okay," Daisuke suddenly interrrupted, holding five bags of doughnuts, "So how much do we owe you for the doughnuts?"

"Actually, about that," Mrs. Matsuda began, "I'll let you have the doughnuts free of charge if you could all do me just one little favor."

"A favor?" Takeru repeated stupidly. She nodded, "If it isn't too much trouble."

"If it means free donuts, sure," Miyako chimed happily. Mrs. Matsuda sheepishly explained, "Well, Takato is having some trouble adjusting to life here. Yesterday I...said something that...upset him. He ran off and...when he came back he was...I don't know...different. I don't really know how to explain it."

"So what do you want us to do?" Ken asked.

"Normally his father or I would talk to him, but he won't even look at us. He actually seemed to be in a rush to leave this morning too," she explained quietly, "I was hoping you could talk to him for us since it's obvious that he doesn't want to be around us."

"Alright! We'll talk to Takato for you and in exchange we get doughnuts!" Daisuke triumphantly declared. A relieved smile appeared on Mrs. Matsuda's face, "Okay. Thank you so much."

...

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato was only half a block away from the school, which was already packed with students making the mad morning dash to get inside before the first bell rang. He was still feeling somewhat sullen from the events of the night before. He had no idea how to explain it, but he could still feel the cold chill of the ocean from the night before. _What was that place?_ he though to himself. Whatever it was, he hoped he never visited it ever again.

He still had no clue how he got home, but he wasn't as glad as he thought he would be. On the contrary, he had felt glum ever since he returned. What had that place done to him? He couldn't exactly remember because the entire thing was a blur. All he could remember was anguish. Sighing quietly, he looked up and down he street before crossing.

He had only gotten half way across when he heard Miyako's voice shout, "Did you have to start eating inside the bakery? Now we're going to be late."

"I said I was so-...hey! Takato!" Daisuke's voice said next. Takato stopped in his tracks and turned around to see Daisuke and the others running as fast as they could down the sidewalk with paper bags in hand that read: Matsuda Family Bakery. As they caught up to Takato, he felt a cold chill run through him. Then Daisuke's face filled with terror, "LOOK OUT!"

"Wha-?" Takato asked only to be muted out by the sound of a car horn. He looked to his side to see the front of a Toyota coming straight at him. Paralyzed with fear, Takato closed his eyes and waited for an impact that would never come.

...

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

"F&?!" The driver of the car said as he clambered out. He had slammed on his breaks, too little too late and had hit Takato. Only he hadn't hit Takato. Just when the car should have sent him into the air, he disappeared. He had left nothing behind except for his bag.

Everyone who had witnessed the incident was flabbergasted. A crowd had gathered around the skid marks where the torn remains of a backpack and its contents lay scattered across the street. A thin, black mist creeped around the contents of the bag and where Takato had stood moments ago. Nobody knew where that mist came from or why it was black. But she knew that mist. She had seen it once before, hoping to never see it again. It was the mist of the Dark Ocean.

**Author's Notes: **Alas, I must end this chapter of Takato's Light. Don't worry friends, the story will be back in three weeks on August 29th. If you loved the story, let me know in the reviews section. I also rally need constructive criticism to help me improve the quality of this story. until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out.


	4. The Red Dinosaur

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Hello readers! This is leonardo1123581321 here to present another chapter of Takato's Light. I sort of delved off the known path here with the last chapter, this chapter and the next. I know this is supposed to be a highschool romance fic, but like I said I have no clue how to write this genre. The lack of sleep doesn't help either. Thank you to everyone who left a review. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoy the last. This chapter has comparatively poorer quality because of how little time I had to write it. And now I would like to respond to the reviews:

**Lord Pata**: GASP! Another PataGato fan! CHEERS! Beer and Rum all around! In fact! SCREW THE BEER! RUM FOR ALL! Seriously though, that's pretty cool. The flames were low but thankfully, no one's got the calls to do it in the reviews section. I'm assuming my initial assumption was right and it was another prepubescent twelve year old who makes up the lack of a social life by flaming people on youtube, forums and even here.

**SuperGarurumon:** Agreed. I don't really get the whole Rukato either. At best, their relationship is already at close friendship. Imagine what would happen if they ever got to lovers? Takato would be beaten on a daily basis.

**Firehedgehog: **Worry not, for Guilmon is on the way. I apologize then for the misnomer, madam. With all due apologies, I beg forgiveness.

**Creepingshadow:** Thank you for the compliment. It's nice to hear your health is improving steadily. I apologze for updating without your blessing, but I couldn't blow it off any longer. Take care.

**Courageous Gogglehead: **You better believe it! Takato is in trouble and guess who saves him? You'll have to read on to find out!

"You have no new messages, okay?" - Sora's Computer, DIGIMON Adventure! Our War Game!  
"No it's not okay! Stupid Tai!" -Sora Takenouchi, DIGIMON Adventure! Our War Game!

**Minxiee: **A little late, but I put off the update long enough to get your review! Takato will get over it, don't worry. Don't worry about Daisuke either. He's one of my favorites so I would never do that to him.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 4: The Red Dinosaur**

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato opened his eyes to the pale sky above him. He was lying on his back in the dead beach that haunted his fears. He shivered weakly, unable to bare the frost bitten temperatures that stung his body. He tried to move into a fetal position, in a desperate attempt to keep himself warm, but found his whole body refused to move. Upon further inspection, Takato realized there was something that was squeezing him tightly, constricting him to the ground he was on. He wriggled himself, and tried vainly to kick his legs in the air. Much to his dismay, it proved to be a futile effort.

It was then that Takato became aware of how wet his shoes had become. A quick glance down told him all he needed to know. The tide was coming in and the water was rising. If he did not free himself soon, he would drown in the icy waters.

Wriggling and kicking furiously, Takato took off on his race against time to save his life. After what seemed like an eternity of fighting his bonds, fatigue set in and Takato finally gave in to the pain screaming from his tired muscles. Lying backwards on the ground, Takato gazed up wearily at the pale sky. As his mind slowly drifted off into the elegant bliss of unconsciousness, he whimpered, "Guilmon...help..."

...

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari, Ken, Takeru, Miyako, and Daisuke were gathered inside the library during their lunch period. Hikari herself was holding a backpack in her lap, hugging it to her chest as if it were a child. It was Takato's backpack, which she had grabbed earlier before anyone thought to look inside for any clues about the owner. Lost in thought, Hikari tried to find some cause for the sudden bout of worry she was feeling. It weighed heavy on her, making her want to cry but she knew she shouldn't. She didn't want the others to worry anymore than they already were.

Bringing herself back into the reality, she heard Ken state, "There's no doubt about it. It was the dark ocean."

"Are you guys sure?" Daisuke asked no one in particular, "I thought Ken and Hikari were the only ones affected by it."

"It was definitely the ocean," Ken answered conclusively, "I don't know how to explain it, but I could almost feel it coming for me. It must have gotten Takato by mistake."

"I felt it too," Hikari added quietly, "It was...awful."

Ken nodded stiffly, a worried look draped on his face. He was worried partly because of Takato but also for himself, as he remembered the events of his last encounter in the Dark Ocean. Miyako rubbed his back assuringly and hugged him, "Don't worry Ken."

"Although there is another possibility that comes to my mind," Ken added, which drew everyone's attention, "This is just a theory but I think that whatever Takato was feeling may have been what drew the Dark Ocean to him."

"What do you mean?" Daisuke demanded rather loudly, "That makes no sense!"

The librarian gave him a loud shush and scowled, "Keep your voices down or I'll send you kids to the prinicipal."

Daisuke puts his hands together, bowed and apologetically said, "Sorry."

The librarian gave him a quizzical look before dismissing it and returning to a stack of books she was replacing on the shelves. Everyone waited silently for a moment, just to be safe before Daisuke quietly asked, "So how did that happen?"

"Well, when I first went to the Dark Ocean it was because of my brother's death," Ken explained, "And then it pulled me in there again, along with Hikari, because of my guilt as the Digimon Emperor and her encounters with the Scubamon. I think the Dark Ocean got Takato for a similar reason."

"I still don't get it," Daisuke scratched the back of his head. Miyako rolled her eyes exasperatedly and said, "He means that Takato must have been so upset about moving that he got sucked into the Dark Ocean!"

"But that still doesn't explain how he got there," Daisuke argued, "I thought only the Digi-Destined could get into that world."

"Well it doesn't matter," Ken said, "The Dark Ocean has always been nothing but trouble and Takato is obviously there by himself. We're the digidestined; it's our duty to go and rescue him."

"Alright, then it's settled," Daisuke shot off his chair and pumped his fist into the air, "We're going to go save Takato."

This earned him another shush from the librarian, followed by a second warning, "This is your last warning! One more time and you will all be speaking with the principal."

Once again, Daisuke quickly apologized before turning to his fellow destined and instructing, "Let's go find an open computer and head out."

Daisuke got up from his chair, bag in hand, and swung it over his shoulder in time for Takeru to say, "Hang on. I don't think we should rush into this, we still have other things to worry about."

"Takato's in trouble and you're worried about homework?" Daisuke said exasperatedly, "Come on TK, I thought you would be a little more concerned about a friend in need."

"I am worried Daisuke," TK said defensively. He wore an angry, yet serious look on his face that made Daisuke settle back into his seat and quietly twiddle his thumbs. Sighing dejectedly, TK continued, "But in case you've forgotten: Our digimon are at home or in the digital world. I don't think any of us will be able to slip out without getting into trouble."

He stopped himself, throwing a worried look at both Ken and Hikari before adding, "I don't think Ken or Hikari should come either."

"What? Takeru," Hikari began to argue only to be cut off by Ken, "I agree with Takeru on this one. We all know what happened the last time the two of us were there."

"So you want us to wait here while they go and rescue Takato by themselves?" Hikari asked demandingly, pointing an accusing finger at Takeru, Daisuke and Miyako. Ken nodded, "It is the safest route and also the most logical. I don't like it either Hikari, but you and I are more vulnerable to its effects than they are. We'd probably just slow them down."

"I'm not going to just sit back here and do nothing Ken," Hikari argued angrily, grinding her teeth. Miyako, grabbed Hikari's arm and argued, "Don't talk to Ken like that Hikari. He's just looking out for you."

"He can look out for himself," Hikari finished, "So are we rescuing Takato or not?"

It was then and there at Hikari realized how tightly she was holding Takato's backpack. Even more startling for her was how hard she was gripping the table they were sitting around. A quick glance at her hand told her that she her nails had dug fairly deep into the wood, leaving wicked marks all over. Much to her chagrin, she sat back down quietly and apologetically answered, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

She stared down at Takato's bag, which had crumpled under the weight of her hand. She hesitantly placed it to the ground, feeling too guilty about her earlier outburst to even look at it. She looked up to face her friends when she heard Miyako say, "You really like him, don't you."

"Wha?" she mumbled. All of the other digidestined, save for Daisuke, wore a knowing smile on their face. Gasping in surprise, she fell backwards off her chair and hit the tiled floor of the library with a thud. Almost immediately, Daisuke was at her side to help her and, with a worried voice, he said, "Don't worry about them Hikari, they're just messing with you."

"Thanks Daisuke," she murmured, which put a blush and a smile on his face. Scratching the back of his head, he said, "Forget about it. But Takeru is right, you and Ken should stay here."

"But," Hikari tried to argue only to have Daisuke wag his finger, "I don't think you or Ken getting into trouble when we go rescue Takato, alright?"

"Fine," Hikari pouted, sitting back into her chair and resting Takato's bag in her lap. She sighed quietly and looked at the bag again. It had a strange smell to it that she found herself liking inexplicably, causing her to draw the bag closer to her. She liked that smell. That was all there was to it. That didn't actually mean she liked Takato, right? _He probably just had some cologne in it that smells good_, she assured herself.

"Alright then, it's settled," Daisuke said triumphantly, "Let's meet back here after school with our digimon and go to the Dark Ocean."

"But Daisuke, we don't even know how to get into the Dark Ocean," Takeru commented. Daisuke frowned, "Oh right...wait, then how did Ken and Hikari get there?"

"It pulled us there, remember?" Ken pointed out, "We didn't go of our own freewill and it's not like we wanted to be there in the first place."

"But..." Takeru began quietly. He scratched his blonde hair, donning a quizical look, "There was one time when Hikari was able to pull me, Gatomon and Patamon to the Dark Ocean."

"Wait, she pulled you into the Dark Ocean with her?" Daisuke asked with a weak tone, a disappointed look on his face. Hikari nodded, "Yeah, an Airdramon attacked me and...I didn't have anything to help me so I...panicked and..."

"You called out for Takeru...great," Daisuke finished dejectedly, sinking back into his chair and folding his arms. Hikari, who found Daisuke's behavior amusing yet immature, said, "It's not like that, Daisuke! Quit acting so immature and grow up."

"Interesting," Ken murmured quietly, "Perhaps we can use this to our advantage."

"What do you mean?" Miyako asked, which prompted Ken's explanation, "Hikari! Takeru! Do you two remember exactly what you were doing when that happened."

"Well I was running up and down the beach trying to find Hikari," Takeru answered, "And then I saw her...well kind of her...it was kind of like a ghost. Anyway, she called out for help and next thing I know I'm in the Dark Ocean."

"Hikari?" Ken asked anxiously. Hikari nodded affirmingly and answered, "The same exact thing. Only I saw TK standing on a cliff looking for me."

"Then it all makes sense," Ken murmured quietly, which earned him an odd look from everyone present. Even Hikari was baffled by Ken, the former boy genius. Even if he wasn't a genius now, it was still almost impossible to guess what he was thinking. Even Miyako had trouble reading him at times because of his otherwise cryptic nature. Although that's what made Ken so interesting as a person and probably what drew her to him. Hikari smiled at the thought.

"Takeru, after school, can you take us to the place where you found Hikari?" Ken asked. Takeru nodded, "Yeah sure."

...

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato's eyes shot open when he felt the icy sting of the water creep up his neck. How long had he been asleep? An hour? Two hours? he wasted too much time and now he was going to drown unless he did something quick. In a frenzied panic, Takato started to scream and yelp helplessly as he wriggled and squirmed to free himself. But it was too much. Whatever had him tied down was strong. He needed help. He needed his friends. He needed the tamers! He needed Guilmon there with him to help him.

He could feel the water brushing against the back of his head. His hair gently rose with the tide. Growing desperate, Takato decided to do the only thing he could think of: he would roll his way to higher ground. With one swift motion, Takato rolled to his left and landed face down on the muddy water. He propped his head up, gasping desperately for air. Rolling himself back onto his back he murmured, "That was useless."

...

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari waited outside at the school's front gate, waiting anxiously for the others to arrive. Of course she had rushed out the second the last bell rang. She even skipped over getting her books out of her locker so she could get out as quickly as possible. She didn't know why, but she was anxious to go the Dark Ocean. She didn't care if the others wanted her to stay behind, nothing was going to stop her.

And yet, she couldn't explain why. What was compelling her to do this. She didn't actually like Takato, she hardly even knew him. It was too creepy. And yet, she couldn't deny that she felt some level of comfort around him. He reminded her so much of her older brother, Taichi. Of course, she didn't doubt the fact that he was probably completely different personality wise. However, it didn't change the fact that he bore a striking resemblance to her older brother.

They had the same messy, brown hair which Hikari found amazingly cool. There was also something strange about the comforting smile on his lips she saw on his face yesterday. There seemed to be a strong reassurance that everything would be alright. She wondered how soft they felt...

...

She paused for a moment, almost sure that there was a surprised look on her face. She did like Takato...no, it was a fluke! Or maybe even a mistake. She couldn't like a guy she hardly knew. It was just her teenage hormones going crazy and nothing more.

She waited a little longer, even until after everyone else was gone, and there was still no sign of anyone.

"Hey Hikari!" she heard Takeru's voice call. Looking up, she saw Takeru and Daisuke walking towards her from the other end of the school yard. She smiled warmly at the duo, who returned it with their own.

"Miyako went off to get Iori and Ken went home to get Wormmon and Hawkmon." Takeru explained. Hikari nodded, "Okay. Gatomon is at home, probably taking her fourth catnap."

"I have to run home and get Veemon," Daisuke said, just before running off down the street, "I'll be back in a little bit, okay?"

With that, Daisuke was gone, leaving Takeru and Hikari along standing in front of the school. Casually, Hikari asked the blonde, "Aren't you going to get Patamon?"

"He's in the Digital World with Agumon," Takeru explained, "And it would waste too much time to bring him to the real world. Takato's been alone in the Dark Ocean long enough. We don't know how much longer he has so the faster we get there, the better."

"Yeah," Hikari agreed, "You're right."

"You really do like him, don't you?" Takeru asked suddenly, with a tone more serious than the one library. In fact, it almost sounded pained or hurt. Hikari paused, unable to find her voice or form any words in her mind. Why would Takeru be hurt? Did he still harbor some feelings for her after all this time. It's not like Hikar could return those feelings now, could she? It wasn't because of Takato, but because Takeru was practically like her brother. It would be too awkward and, besides which, those kind of relationships almost never worked out and ended with both sides heart broken. Things were better off the way they were now. Hikari opened her mouth to answer only to be cut off by Iori.

"HEY! Takeru! Hikari!" Iori called from down the street, with Miyako following close behind him. Gasping for air, she said, "Slow down Iori! It's a heck of a run from my school to yours! I don't want to do the same thing twice in one day!"

"I'm sorry Miyako, but you did say it was important. So what exactly was it anyway?," Iori answered. Miyako nodded, all the while gasping for breath, "Could you explain...Takeru...I need a minute...to catch...my...breath..."

"Sure," Takeru said, patting Miyako on the back, "Takato was taken into the Dark Ocean. We don't know why or how yet but whatever the reason: he's there by himself and he needs ours help."

Miyako's gasps became shorter and lighter, as she added, "That's really it."

Iori, who was awestruck by what Takeru said, asked, "But...how-"

"It's weird, I know," Miyako cut him off, "But we don't know either."

"So how do we plan on getting to the Dark Ocean?" Iori inquired the others, which earned him shrugs from everyone present. This time Hikari answered, "Ken said to meet here after school."

"Where is he by the way?" Iori asked.

"He went home to get Wormmon and Hawkmon," Takeru explained, "Patamon is in the Digital World with Agumon. Iori, do you want to go get Armadillomon?"

"I can't," Iori countered, "He's in the Digital World too, with Kabuterimon. By the way, why isn't Hikari going to get Gatomon?"

"She's not coming with us," Takeru answered, running a hand through his hair, "She and Ken are staying behind because of what the Dark Ocean does to them."

Hikari's face went red with embarrassment. Even if it was true, it was still embarrassing to admit that she was more vulnerable to Dark Ocean's effects compared to the others. But what made Ken and her different from the others? Was it because she was held the Crest of Light and the Dark Ocean was the world of Darkness. It made the most sense.

Too caught up in pondering the cause, she failed to notice that Ken and Daisuke had arrived. Ken from one end of the street, and Daisuke from the other. Tucked under his arms was a blue, lizard like creature with a horn protruding from where its nose would have been. It's arms were considerably longer than its legs, albeit with the man spikes one would never know.

In one hand, Ken cradled a green caterpillar and in the other was a pink ball of feather that had a beak and a discolored red feather sticking out of its back. They were Ken's long time partner, Wormmon, and Miyako's partner in his In-Training form, Poromon.

"Miyako!" the little ball of feathers cried excitedly, flapping a pair of tiny wings wildly. Despite their size, the little bird was able to lift itself out of Ken's arms and landed promptly in Miyako's. With an ecstatic air, the little bird chirped, "Miyako! What's going on? Ken said there was something urgent."

"There is Poromon," Miyako answered, albeit less excitedly, "You see-"

"Explain on the way," Ken interupted her, "Takeru, can you take us to the place where you were warped into the Dark Ocean?"

"Um sure, okay," Takeru said. With that, their little group took off with TK in the lead.

...

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato now fully understood how a tube of toothpaste felt after being squeezed. The water had long gone over his head and only the tip of his nose stuck up above. Taking what last gasps of breath he had, Takato's mind ran across every last thing he would never be able to see again:

His loving parents, whom he had hated for their sudden decision to move and had rudely given the cold shoulder...

The tamers, Henry, Rika, Ryo, Kazu, Kenta, Suzie, Ai, and Mako, whom he was glad to call his friends...

The love of his life...

If these were to be Takato's last moments, he had but one wish: To see Jeri's smile one more time. To feel her lips against his own. To hold her close and never let go. That was all...

The water had finally risen above his nose, robbing him of any air. Holding on to his last breath of fresh air, Takato prayed for a miracle. But one could only spend so much time under water, holding their breath. He could already feel the stabbing sensation building up in his lungs. The pain was too great and Takato opened his mouth to relieve himself of the pain, desperately gasping for air but only receiving a mouth and lungful of water. Slowly, Takato's world faded into darkness.

...

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

"So this is the place?" Ken asked, looking up and down the sandy beach. Takeru nodded, "This is it...this is where I saw Hikari before I ended up in the Dark Ocean."

"Are you going to tell us what's going on Ken?" Daisuked finally asked. Ken, who was known for thinking things carefully, said, "I think this beach is connected to the Dark Ocean, much like how Highton View Terrace is connected to the Digital World."

"So you think we can find a trace of Takato around here?" Hikari asked quietly, still clutching his bag. Ken nodded, "I think so."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Daisuke said. He took off without so much as a second glance back and didn't stop running. Miyako, who should have learned to ignore Daisuke's cocky antics by that point, took chase after him, "HEY! WAIT!"

Dumbstruck, their two digimon partners Poromon and Veemon followed after. The rest of their gang, Hikari included, followed after the comedy duo down the long stretch of sandy beach. They had not gone long before they finally caught up with Daisuke, Miyako, Veemon and Poromon. They were staring with wide eyes into the water, frozen in their place.

"What are you looking at guys?" Iori asked, as he was the first to finally catch up with them. Daisuke, still wide eyed, pointed dumbly into the water and said, "Do you see what I see?"

"Daisuke, you idiot," Iori cried, immediately running into the cold, frigid waters. Upon realizing what he had done, Miyako and Daisuke ran in after him shouting, "Iori!"

When Hikari looked out into the water where Iori, Daisuke and Miyako ran out to, she saw the pale apparition of Takato lying in the water. She gasped in surprise and chased after them into the water. Behind her, she could hear the splashes of water coming from Ken and Takeru. Iori, Daisuke and Miyako had grabbed Takato's pale form, tied up in ropes, and were dragging it closer to shore. They were all waste deep, except for Iori who was neck deep. As they drew closer, Hikari felt a cold chill run down her spine that paralyzed. Dismissing it as nothing more than hypothermia, she slowly made her way back onto the beach. As she got closer, she noticed something was wrong.

A strange mist had settled in and the sky had grown cloudy, filling with a swirl of white and gray storm clouds. She also noticed that the air had grown colder and heavier, weighing down on her chest. All the happiness sank out of her being, as color faded away into dull shades of gray. Her heart sank when she realized what was going on.

They were in the Dark Ocean. The heart of all evil in the world. Panicking she ran straight for the shore line and fell to the sand. behind her, she heard the others finally drag Takato's limp form onto the beach. Miyako gasped, "He's not breathing!"

"We're not too late, are we?" Iori asked quietly. Hikari meekly made her way over to them, dragging her feet and sinking to her knees as soon as she was beside them.

"He needs CPR!" Ken declared. With feigned heroism, Daisuke proudly cried, "Okay I got this!"

HE paused for a moment, thinking carefully about what he had said before correcting himself, "How do you do CPR?"

Everyone sighed exasperatedly before Hikari said, "I'll do it."

She sank to Takato sighed and examined carefully. Remembering her lesson from Health, she straightened Takato's body and lifted his chin to open his airway. She then put the palms of her hands over his chest and pushed down, counting the compressions, "One...Two...Three..."

Once she got to fifteen, she stopped and watched his chest. Nothing. She really didn't hope she would have to do the next step. She paused hesitantly, worried about the next step. She just had to breathe into his mouth. That was it. Nothing more. It wasn't like it was a kiss or anything.

In a sudden act of boldness, she parted his lips, pinched his nose closed, and blew into his mouth twice. Nothing. He still wasn't breathing. She went back to the compressions, pushing down fifteen times. Again, nothing. He didn't even breathe once. Moving back to his mouth, she repeated the breathes, blowing harder into his mouth than before. Immediately water shot into her mouth and down her throat. Pulling her mouth off of his, Takato coughed up water and sand. Rolling over onto his side, he looked up at Hikari dreamily and whimpered, "Jeri?"

Then he passed back into unconsciousness. Confused, Hikari had only one question on her mind: who was Jeri and, more importantly, why did he call her that? Disregarding his comment as delusion, Hikari smiled weakly. At least she knew Takato was okay and that warmed her frigid body.

"PYROSPHERE!" a voice cried, just as a fireball exploded into a crater on the sandy beach that sent everyone clamoring to their feet. A red dinosaur with bat like ears and black stripes running up and down its body growled at them angrily.

"Who is that?" TK asked. It was Veemon who offered the explanation, "I don't know. I've never seen this kind of Digimon before."

"GET AWAY FROM TAKATOMON! PYROSPHERE!" it growled before shooting another ball of fire out of its mouth. This time, it came straight for Hikari and she had to dive out of its path to avoid it. As everyone regrouped, they noticed the dinosaur digimon now stood them and Takato With a lethal tone, it growled "LEAVE TAKATOMON ALONE!"

There was only one thought on everyone's mind: Who was this Digimon and what did he want with Takato?

...

**Author's Notes:** I'm sorry to leave you guys at a cliffhanger. I haven't a lot of time lately so I didn't get to finish this one like I wanted to. Because I've started college, I will need six weeks to get the next chapter together. That's Friday, October 10th. If you loved the story, let me know in the reviews section. I also rally need constructive criticism to help me improve the quality of this story. until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out to bed!


	5. Rescuing the Rescuers!

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Wow guys! Thanks for all your wonderful comments and reviews! I really wish I had more time to make this the chapter that you guys deserve but I only had so much time. As I said, college life is very difficult and has made sleep a luxury. Now, I'd like to give a shout out to creepingshadow whose condition appears to be improving. I don't have much else to say so let's move on to responding to the reviews!

**Super garurumon: **Thank you for the compliment. Yes, Takuya does look more like Tai, but Hikari isn't actively aware of his existance. And no, I will not insert him into the story!

**Lord Pata: **Yeah, it's a lovable hurricane of emotion! Yes, yes the pata needs the gato more than the vee does. As for the promised rum, someone decided to burn it all to make a huge smoke signal. as it goes 'Why's the Rum Gone?'

**Firehedgehog**: Yep! You better believe it!

**CrAzY-fish 101: **Man that name is hard to spell. Thank you for the compliment. I will continue to write this story as long as people continue to read.

**creepingshadow: **Thank you for the kind words. I've been trying to make time but certain details keeps over complicating things. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Black-HunterXX: **I've updated! I've updated! Now please make Thomas Edison's ghost go away! I don't like being haunted.

**Kasumi Hoshi Nishida: **Yes, college sucks. I'm coping but it's only down hill from here. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Light-Sakura: **Well, I'm glad you decided to give it a chance and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

**shinigami-merc: **...You hit a little too close to home with that...Are you spying on me?

**Minxiee: **Yeah, I would never do it Daisuke. He's a good kid, albeit a bit cocky. Thanks for understanding my situation though.

**Freedomstrike35: **I got it up as quickly as I could. I hope you enjoy.

**chm01: **Thanks again for your help. I forgot to mention it, but the tamers will make an appearance in the story.

**Tri-Emperor of the Twilight: **Thanks for your comment my liege! In return I present the next chapter

**COBALT GUNDAM: **It...might? They will have a relationship and, like all relationships, it will hit its bumpy points. Fear not for this is a TakatoxHikari through and through!

**digi-writer1392: **Thank you for the comment.

**AlbinoChocobo: **You gotta love that little, red dinosaur.

**Byoshi1993: **Yeah I am writing...maybe...I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Oyabun.

**Lacus01: **Well, I made it didn't I? I hope you enjoy the update!

That's all for now so let's skip to the reason you're all here:

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 5: Rescuing the Rescuers!**

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

"Pyrosphere!"

"Vee Headbutt!"

"Rock Breaker!"

"Feather Strike!"

"Pyrosphere!"

"Silk Thread!"

The red dinosaur held its ground against the digidestined, even though it was taking one powerful beating from their digimon. The red digimon staggered, struggling to support its own weight, Veemon fell back along side Daisuke while Hawkmon and Wormmon circled around it. Exhausted from the many attempts to force the dinosaur aside, Veemon panted, "He's not budging. He's more stubborn than you Daisuke."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daisuke asked with a hint of contempt. Ken waved the two off, saying, "Listen you two: I don't think now is a good time to be arguing. We still need to get Takato out of here!"

"Right!" Daisuke and Veemon affirmed with one voice. They turned their attention back to the strange new digimon, who was now carrying Takato's unconscious body on its back. With one last breath, it shot a fireball out of its mouth whilst screaming, "Pyrosphere!"

The fire ball missed the destined all together though, instead exploding at their feet and kicking a flurry of dirt and sand into the air. Hikari closed her eyes and through her arms up in defense, trying to shield herself from the flurry. Once the dirt and sand cleared, Hikari opened her eyes to see...

Nothing. No Takato. No Digimon. Nothing. Just empty beach scarred from their ferocious battle.

"He got away!" Daisuke proclaimed with frustration, throwing his goggles onto the ground.

"He can't have gotten far," Ken pointed out, "If we split up, we can still catch him. Hikari, go with Miyako and head back the way we came. Daisuke, go with TK and head the other way. Iori and I will check the forest. If you find something, use the D-Terminal to contact the rest of us."

"Right," they sang in unison, before going they're seperate ways.

...

(As seen from Guilmon's Perspective)

"It'll be okay, Takatomon," Guilmon said to himself, racing through the forest. The still unconscious Takato was slumped on the digimon's back, weighing heavy on the tired digimon's shoulders. The digimon wasn't entirely sure how far he had already run, or where he was to begin with, but at least he got away from those others. Once again, the digimon wasn't entirely to sure of the situation but he had seen enough to get a general idea of what was going on.

Takato's unconscious body, surrounded by those other humans if that was what they were. One of them was doing something, but he couldn't see what because of how many there were. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. They were hurting Takato, and in the process, knocked him out.

But he was safe now. All that mattered at this point was that Guilmon put as much distance between them and him. That was all the motivation he needed to keep on running.

...

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

_Why did this have to happen? Where could he have gone? Why would he want Takato of all people?_ Those were the thoughts racing through her mind. The only explanation that she could come up with was that Takato was a chosen child – a digidestined. But that didn't make any sense. There were only twelve digi destined in all of Japan: herself and her brother Taichi, Takeru and his brother Yamato, Sora, Koushiro, Mimi, Jyou, Daisuke, Iori, Miyako, and Ken. Maybe he was a third generation digidestined? Again, this solution didn't make sense. The only reason a new set of digidestined would be chosen would be when the Digital World was in danger. But there was no indication that was the case. This left only one plausible explanation: The digimon was probably the one responsible for bringing Takato to this world.

She could only imagine what kind of horror Takato went through at the hands of that digimon. _It tried to drown him_, she thought bitterly, _It tried to KILL him!_ Although she didn't realize it at the time, her pace had actually quickened because of how angry she was.

"Hikari! Wait!" Miyako gasped out, "If I'd have known I would be doing this much running I would have started going to the gym!"

"Or maybe you could start by eating less at the table," Hawkmon offered flapping his wings. Hikari looked back at Miyako, who was panting for breath, and Hawkmon, who was circling above her. Miyako, hearing Hawkmon's comment, asked, "Are you calling me fat?"

"I was merely suggesting that you leave some food for the rest of your family," Hawkmon answered defensively. Miyako, who was still gasping, said, "Be glad you...can fly or...I would have made...Hawkmon stew by now."

Then Hikari came to a realization. Hawkmon could fly, which meant he could see more than the rest.

"Hawkmon, can you fly up and see if you can spot Takato or that digimon before Miyako tries anything?" Hikari asked the bird-like digimon. With a curt bow, Hawkmon answered, "Of course."

He ascended upwards into the sky, until he became just a tiny speck before descending back down, "I'm sorry Hikari, but this fog is too thick. I can't see much of anything."

"Thanks anyway Hawkmon," Hikari replied, "Are you ready yet Miyako?"

"Yeah," Miyako sighed with a loud gasp, "Let's get going."

Miyako rose off the sandy beach and dusted the sand off her pants. She followed after Hikari and Hawkmon as they continued their search down the beach.

...

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Numb. Takato couldn't feel a thing. Nothing. Everything was dark. But then he heard something. Something familiar.

Noises? No. They were words. But what were they saying...

'_Grab his legs!_' it said. He had never heard that voice before, '_We'll carry him to shore!'_

Shore? What shore?He felt as if he was moving. It lasted only for a moment, this rocking sensation, that came to an abrupt end when something soft hit his back.

'_He's not breathing!_' Miyako's voice sounded.

'_We're not too late are we_?' said that strange voice again.

'_He needs CPR' _came another, this one Ken's. Daisuke's voice was next, saying, '_Okay I got this...How do you do CPR?_'

It was like a strange dream, listening to them talk.

'_I'll do it'_ a final voice said, this one Hikari's. He felt something press against his lips, followed by something force its way into his mouth. He didn't know what it was, just that it was a welcome sensation that spread relief throughout his body. Then pain. Something was pushing against his chest, squeezing him and causing him an unprecedented pain. Then it pressed against his lips again. This pattern repeated until he began to feel sick. Somethings shot out of his mouth...something that tasted awful. Following it was a sudden surge of energy that shot through his entire body. He opened his eyes just a crack, to see a bright light behind a familiar silhouette. It was a girl. That much he knew. In fact, he was certain that it was Jeri. No, it had to be Jeri. She was looking down at him with a mixed faced of relief and surprise. Was she crying? but why? He didn't like it when she cried, and immediately his desire to comfort her overrode him.

"Jeri?" he said weakly. He wanted to reach out to her. To hug her close and tell her everything was aright. But that one word was apparently too much because his body suddenly gave way to exhaustion. Darkness consumed him again, and everything went black. When he finally came too again, his head ached with pain. There was a loud whistling noise in his ears. His entire body was covered in cold chills and pain. To top it all off, there was a heavy weight on his legs that was not doing his aching body any favors. Takato tried to crack an eye open to see what it was, only to close them again. It was too bright. His eyes needed to adjust before he could see what was going on.

He gently opened his eyes this time, allowing them to adjust to the lighting before he tried open them as wide as he did before. To his surprise, it was actually fairly dim. The ringing noise slowly dissipated, replaced by the sound of soft snores. The sound was coming from a familiar sleeping, red dinosaur who was resting his head on Takato's lap. Takato smiled weakly, happy to see his partner again. But something was wrong.

Upon further inspection Takato realized that his partner was severely wounded. He was covered from head to tail in bruises, scratches and burns.

"Guilmon? What happened?" he thought aloud

Guilmon's eyes immediately propped open, "Takatomon? Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I'm okay, but what happened to you?" Takato answered divertingly. Guilmon nuzzled his head against Takato's chest, "Takatomon was being attacked, so Guilmon rushed in and saved you."

Takato's face tried to form, but the pain in his body only allowed him to make a faint grin. With what little strength he still had, he patted the dinosaur's nose and gratefully said, "Thanks buddy."

With nothing left to say, the two of them slipped back into sleep.

...

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

"Takato!" Miyako yelled out.

"Takato!" Hikari called out as well.

"This is hopeless," Miyako pointed out, "We have no way in telling just how big this world is. He's probably long gone by now."

"Don't talk like that!" Hikari snapped angrily, "He's here! I know it! We just have to keep looking."

"Hikari," Miyako said, patting her on the shoulder, "It's getting late and our parents are probably starting to worry. I'm going to go email the others."

"Come on Miyako! Let just keep looking another ten minutes!" Hikari pleaded. Miyako only shook her head before she started typing on her D-Terminal, "I'm sorry Hikari. We'll have to try again tommorow."

"Striking Fish!" A voice called out. A harpoon flew through the mist and landed in the sand beside them, causing the girls to gasp and Hawkmon to fly forward. With a strong voice, he cried, "Whose there?"

"We are!" A shrill voice cried.

"We have come to reclaim our queen!" Another voice said.

"And this time she will not escape!" A Divermon cackled as it appeared out of water. There was something wrong with this digimon however. It was larger, with longer arms and torso compared to normal Divermon. The most striking feature were its glowing red eyes that seemed to pierce through her very being. The Divermon advanced, laughing maniacally, "Hikari will be our queen! And with her guidance we will overthrow out Evil Emperor!"

Hikari's whole being shrank back, chilling over in fear. It was them! The Divermon who brought her into this world in the first place. They were back? But why? Could Takato have been a diversion? Was he really another trap to lure her into this world? It couldn't be! She slid to the sandy beach, whimpering quietly, "No...go away..."

"Hikari!" Miyako gasped, running to her side and shaking her furiously, "Come on! You're not just going to let these guys walk all over you are you?"

Hikari couldn't answer. She wanted to say no. To say that she could beat this. But deep down, some part of her knew that was just a lie. IT was a paralyzing thought. It kept her from fighting back, like an evil spell had been cast on her to paralyze her in fear. Miyako, with her D3 in hand, cried out, "Alright Hawkmon! Ready?"

"Of course!" Hawkmon replied.

"Okay!" Miyako said, activating her D-Terminal, "Digi-Armor Energize!"

Hawkmon! Armor Digivolve To! Shurimon!

The white cloth ninja that was once Hawkmon took a stance between the two digidestined and the deformed Divermon. One of the Divermon, their leader apparent, stepped forth and declared, "No one will stand in our way! We will have our queen!"

"Striking Fish!" They all cried, throwing their harpoons in unison at the warrior digimon. Shurimon leaped upwards into the air and released a flurry of shuriken while shouting, "Double Stars!"

The shuriken broke most of the harpoons, but some of them were able to slip past Shurimon. These harpoons slept past and landed just within inches of both Miyako and Hikari. Miyako jumped back in surprise, but Hikari couldn't find the will to move out of the way. She would rather have died than be captured by these horrid digimon. The Divermon must have known this because they were completely unfazed by Shurimon's display. Instead, it only seemed to inspire them to fight harder.

"Striking Fish!" One of them called, hurling another harpoon into the air. This one was not aimed at the digidestined or Shurimon. Instead, it was aimed at the cliff behind them. The harpoon struck a loose part of the cliff wall and created a rock slide. The rocks tumbled downwards, seperating Shurimon from Miyako and Hikari, and splitting the Divermon into two groups.

...

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato awoke to a horrible earthquake. The ground shook so violently that he found himself falling onto the dirt with Guilmon's large body falling on top of him. Guilmon, awoken from his slumber, scrambled to his feet and started growling angrily. Takato, sensing his partner's growing anger, asked, "What's up buddy?"

"There's some digimon...over there!" Guilmon seethed. Takato knew his partner's habits well. Guilmon had a tendency to charge into battle without so much as a second thought. Normally, Takato would be itching to get into the fight along side his digimon partner. But he neither had his digivice or his deck of cards. How was he supposed to help Guilmon without them?

And had Guilmon recovered? His partner was in no shape to get into another fight. He owed it to his partner for saving his life.

Guilmon, on the other hand, didn't really seem to care. He grew more aggressive, and started to rear his hind legs as if he were ready to run. There was no way Takato could stop his digimon. Besides: Help might be in that direction. If not, then maybe some food or water. Rising off the ground, he said, "Okay buddy, let's go!"

...

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

"Shurimon!" Miyako screamed in horror, running to the mound of stones that had cut her off from her partner.

"Miyako!" Shurimon shouted from the other side.

"He's the least of your worries!" One of the Divermon squealed with delight. They stalked forward, cornering Miyako and Hikari against the rock wall. _It's over_, Hiakri thought, _I knew we couldn't beat them. They're too strong._

"Miyako!" Shurimon called, climbing over the debris of the rock slide, "GRAH!"

Two harpoons hit the digimon in the small of his back. He staggered for a moment before falling to the ground and transforming back into Hawkmon. Miyako gasped and ran to her fallen digimon's side, "Hawkmon! Hawkmon!"

"This is better than we could have hoped. Instead of having one queen, we shall have two!" a Divermon proclaimed as it appeared atop the other side of the wall. Another chortled excitedly, "And soon we shall destroy our evil king!"

Backed against the wall with nowhere to go, Hikari silently accepted what must have been her inevitable fate. Miyako, with the unconscious Hawkmon wrapped between her arms, fell back beside Hikari. They had no where left to run. They were prisoners now; prisoners in this cold and unforgiving world.

"PYROSPHERE!" A fireball appeared from no where and hit one of the Divermon square in the chest. The Divermon howled in pain before disappearing into a cloud of data. Hikari and Miyako looked around them, hoping to find who their rescuer was. To their amazement, the red dinosaur from before appeared on top of the cliff with a horrific glare in his eyes. Riding on its back was none other than Takato, with a courageous gleam. Hikari's being filled with hope when her eyes fell on Takato. She had never been so happy to see him, so happy to see anyone else. Immediately, she knew everything would be alright."

On the other hand, the Divermon didn't take so kindly to the intruder and began their counterattack, "Striking Fish!"

"Pyrosphere!"

The fireball destroyed the harpoon and hit another of the Divermon who dispersed into another cloud of data. The red dinosaur dove off the cliff, landing on the sandy beach with a loud boom that sent more dust and sand into the air. Takato dismounted the dinosaur and said, "Okay Guilmon! Go get 'em!"

Guilmon charged forward, head butting the lead Divermon in the chest before firing a fireball into its exposed neck, "Pyrosphere!"

Once again, the digimon burst into data. But Hikari noticed something different. Unlike the data from other digimon, this data did not dissipate. On the contrary it lingered in the air, creating small red clouds that swept through the air.

"He's too strong!" One of the Divermon declared, "Retreat!"

"Hikari! Miyako!" Takato called to them, racing to their side, "What happened? Why are you two here? And who is that?"

Takato was pointing at Hawkmon, who still lay unconscious in Miyako's arms. Hikari wanted to be the one who answered, but couldn't find the courage to do so. Why was she so scared all of a sudden? They were going to be fine. He was going to be fine. It was hard to imagine that just a few minutes ago, her lips were pressed against his. Even if it was just CPR.

"Forget about us," Miyako said first, "What about you? Are you alright? And who is that!"

She was pointing at the red dinosaur who was chasing the Divermon back into the water. Unfortunately, their attempt at escape was in vain because the dinosaur merely followed them in and started slashing at them with its claws. Takato shot the digimon a glance and said, "That's Guilmon. He's my digimon partner."

"Takato," Miyako sputtered, "You have a digimon...you're a digidestined?"

"No I'm a Digim- Wait, how do you know about Digimon?" Takato asked. Miyako answered by saying, "Because we're digidestined."

She held out her D3-Digivice, showing it to Takato. Takato, with an amazed look, then asked, "So this guy is your Digimon?"

"Yes."

"Then where are we?" Takato asked. It was Hikari's turn to answer and she did, by yelling, "We're in the Dark Ocean!"

"The Dark Ocean?" Takato repeated. Hikari explained, "An evil world that exists between the Digital World and the real world."

"Takatomon?" The red dinosaur known as Guilmon interrupted, his voice much more gentle than before, "Can Guilmon absorb the data?"

"Why not?" Takato said, "It's been a while since we got into an actual battle."

"Absorb the data?" Hikari asked. She got her answer when Guilmon ascended into the air, hovering just a few feet off the ground. The red clouds, created by the defeated Divermon, began to spiral around the dinosaur until they disappeared into its body. There was a bright flash before Guilmon gently floated back to the ground. With a satisfied growl, he smiled like an innocent child.

"Gui...Guilmon?" Miyako asked. The red dinosaur opened his eyes to get a good look at them before assuming his fighting stance, "It's them!"

"Them?"

"The ones who tried to hurt Takatomon!" Guilmon stated spitefully. A horrified look crossed Takato's eyes. With a panicked tone, he asked, "Guys...is that...true?"

"What?" Miyako asked, "Of course not! How can he say that after we practically saved you from drowning! If anything, he's the one who tried to hurt you. He attacked you and ran off as soon as we got you breathing again!"

"That's a lie! You were trying to hurt Takatomon!"

"What?" Takato sighed. Miyako pointed her finger at Hikari and said, "You weren't breathing when we pulled you out of the water so Hikari here resuscitated you!"

"Resuscitated me..." Takato's voice wavered. Hikari' face flushed. Why did Miyako have to point that out. Takato didn't need to know that. It wasn't like the others wouldn't have done the same thing if she weren't around. Oh! What was she supposed to do? Takato was looking at her now with a mixed look of awe and sorrow. Like a sudden realization had shattered his hopes.

"It's okay Guilmon," Takato said, "They're digidestined."

"Digidestined?" the dinosaur asked. Takato nodded, "Yeah. Like me, Henry, Rika, Ryo, Jeri and the others."

Guilmon looked from Takato to Hikari to Miyako. Hikari, however, had a different question in mind. Jeri's name had come up again. She was a digidestined that Takato knew. And he called out her name when she resuscitated him. Did...did that mean...that she was his crush. Or maybe even his...his...girlfriend? Hikari's heart suddenly sank in defeat. He was already dating someone else.

Guilmon stepped forward and started sniffing Hikari and Miyako before smiling, "Okay...they smell like digimon too."

"Okay, then," Miyako said, "I'm glad that's settled. I'm going to contact the others and we'll all go home."

...

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato stared out of his bedroom window. Guilmon was sleeping soundly on his bed, wrapped firmly in his sheets. It warmed his heart to see his digimon again, even if he did take up the whole bed. Takato didn't mind though. He was far too preoccupied with his own thoughts. His parents had scolded him when he got home, a far from warm welcome but better than none. Apparently a whole day went by while he was in the Dark Ocean.

He explained what had happened to his parents, who were wary in believing it until Guilmon came into the picture. They had hoped all the digimon none-sense was over when the D-Reaper destroyed the Digital World. Takato had thought that the same as well. So why did he and Guilmon meet in the Dark Ocean? Was the Digital World in trouble again? He hoped not. Because he didn't anymore on his plate than he needed.

He knew it was his job as a Digimon Tamer to ensure that the wild digimon that entered the real world an the ones who terrorized the digital world were kept in check, but he had other issues he wanted to think about. For starters, was Hikari the one he mistook for Jeri. More importantly, how could he mistake her for Jeri. Maybe he was just delusional because he was under water for so long.

Yeah. That had to be it. There was no other explanation. But there was something unsatisfactory with the one he wanted to believe. Some kind of inkling that told him it would be a lie to himself if he chose to accept it as truth. Not that he thought Hikari was unattractive. By all means, she was pretty but she didn't compare to Jeri. At least, not in his eyes.

But he still couldn't shake that feeling that there was something missing to that. Maybe he was just being grateful. After all, she had resuscitated. But why her? Then again, would he have preferred one of the boys to do it? Images of Takeru, Daisuke and Ken puckering their lips against his flashed through his mind. He shook his head furiously, he would have preferred Hikari over them.

He sighed, collapsing on the side of his bed in a small nook that Guilmon didn't cover. Brushing his lips with his own fingers, he thought, _Why can't I get her out of my head?_

...

**Author's Notes: **I hope you enjoy the resolution to Takato's dilemna. Unforunately he's fallen into another one. The next update will come in 6 weeks on November 21st! If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism for this genre because I have never written a romance before. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	6. Inviting Takato and Getting Taichi

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Tired...so very tired. Thanks to all you guys who wrote reviews, I really appreciate it. Once again, my schedule has been awful and school work has taken away a lot of time from what I had originally planned to use on this story. Therefore I want to apologize ahead of time for any grammar or spelling errors. I would like to give a friendly little hello to Creepingshadow, it's nice to see your in better health (possibly better than I am now). For now, let's respond to some reviews quickly and be on my way.

**chm01: **Yeah, I'm sorry if it's coming off as too depressing. I really don't know how to write romance because I always found it kind of corny. The others will get to see Takato in action soon enough and there will be tension between Jeri and Takato.

**Tri-Emperor of the Twilight: **Tamers was good wasn't it? I briefly skimmed through the series just to write this story and I liked it. Although personally, Taiora will beat TakatoxJeri in my book.

**BYoshi1993: **To answer your question, it used to be every two weeks when I worked only on Oyabun, but it went to every three weeks when I started writing Takato's Light. As soon as college started, I moved it to every six weeks to free up my schedule. It'll probably go back down to every three weeks once summers starts. As I said, I only skimmed Digimon Tamers so I didn't really grasp how Guilmon talks.

**Firehedgehog: **K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

**Theban 118: **Thanks for the compliment. I'm sorry for the long wait but I need time to flesh these things out.

**Light-Sakura: **I'm glad you like it. Again, sorry for the long wait but I need time to write these stories.

**CrisscrossAnime: **Wait no more for the update has come!

**Minxiee: **I'm not angry, though. I'm just tired. Well, I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

**Sunny Lighter: **Wait no more for here it is!

And so, lady and gents, I present the next chapter of Takato's Light

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 6: Inviting Takato and Getting Taichi**

(As seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato's eyes propped open the moment he heard his mother, "TAKATO!"

A quick glance at his alarm clock told him it was 4 in the morning on a Saturday of all things. What did he do to deserve being awoken at 4 in the morning on a weekend?

"Could you help me with the bakery today? Your father caught a really bad head cold!" his mother explained from downstairs.

"Okay," Takato grumbled quietly, trying his best to get off the bed. However Guilmon decided to wrap his arms tightly around Takato while they were sleeping and make it impossible for the Tamer to move, let alone breathe. Twisting and stretching his body at odd angles, the teen was finally able to free himself from his partner's grip.

He stood up and dusted himself off before dressing in a white shirt and a pair of tan khakis. Placing a coat over his clothes, he walked out of his room and met his mother who was waiting patiently with her hands in her pocket.

"Is everything alright?" she asked quietly, with a small hint of empathy. Takato nodded, even though it was a lie. Although she asked if everything was alright, she was really asking if Takato had forgiven her for her comment, if Guilmon's return meant there was trouble in the Digital World, and if he intended to leave again to go save the Digital World. In truth, Takato still hadn't forgiven her, he still wasn't sure why he was reunited with Guilmon and he most certainly didn't intend to go anywhere for a while considering what happened the day before.

Together, the two of them left the apartment and walked across the street to the bakery.

..........

(As seen from Hikari's Perspective)

The train rattled down the tracks, shaking the cars and the passengers within. Hikari held on as tight as she could to the loops hanging from the ceiling with one hand while using the other to hold her skirt down. Perhaps wearing her pink skirt under her white blouse and yellow vest wasn't such a good idea. She had heard all kinds of stories about the perverted things that happened in these train cars. The odds were higher low since the car was almost empty except for her, Takeru and Daisuke. Takeru was calmly staring out the window behind him while Daisuke was sleeping comfortably on his own chair.

She shuddered at the thought of anything like that happening to her, especially when considering how close they were to the Tokyo university. It was already awkward enough that they were going to visit her brother uninvited, but they had to ask Koushiro to meet them at the station this early in the morning just to let them into Taichi's dorm room.

"Why don't you have a seat Hikari?" Takeru asked, taking her hand and pulling her into the seat between himself and Daisuke, "You look pale. Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing," Hikari murmured, "I was just thinking."

"Was it about Taichi...or Takato?" Takeru pressed jokingly. Hikari's felt all the blood rush into her face from embarrassment. Why was she embarrassed though? She was thinking about her older brother. Takato hadn't even crossed her mind until Takeru brought it up. Why did he have to bring it up anyway? She already had enough problems on her plate and the last thing she wanted to worry about was Takato. And why was she thinking about Takato so much?

_BEEP BOOP!_

"You're Attention Please! We Are Now Arriving At Chibuya Station! Please Stand Clear Of Doors And Allow Others To Enter/Exit The Car! Thank You For Your Cooperation!"

_BEEP BOOP!_

"We're there," TK pointed out as the train began to crawl to a stop, "Hey Daisuke! Wake up! We're almost at the station."

Daisuke's eyes propped open. Groaning silently, he rose off his chair and stretched his arms and legs. When the train car finally came to a stop, the doors slid open and all three teens stepped out. The station was brightly lit by the fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling. Sitting on a bench at the farthest end of the station was Koushiro, adorned in an unbuttoned blue collared shirt, a white undershirt, and a pair of tan khakis. He busied himself by typing on his yellow laptop with one hand while holding a cellphone connected to his computer with the other hand.

"Hey! Koushiro!" Daisuke said energetically. Immediately, the computer whiz perked his head up and smiled when he spotted the three high schoolers. Waving shortly, he quietly said, "Hey!"

"Thanks again for meeting us up here so early," Takeru said, "It wasn't a problem, was it?"

"No," Koushiro answered quickly, "Actually, I've been needing an excuse to get away from the computer laboratory for a while. I've been working on my semester project for networking since Tuesday but I still can't fix this bug in the program that keeps causing a system crash. At first I thought it was just a line in the code that I mistyped but I've reread the script twenty times and it looks fine. So then I thought it was a compatibility issue because the University's upgraded the servers, but the new ones followed the same architecture as the old ones. When that failed, I opened the hardware to see if one of parts was damaged but everything was fine. So then I thought it was a memory problem and increased the Virtual Mem-"

"Whoa, slow down," Daisuke pleaded, scratching the back of his head, "Start at the beginning: what do you mean code? Like the ones you enter in a video game?"

"Guys, we're here to get Taichi, remember?" Hikari pointed out impatiently. Koushiro put his palm to his forehead and said, "Oh I'm sorry. I got carried away again. Come on, I'll take you guys to his apartment. It's just a few blocks away from here."

"His apartment?" Hikari repeated, "He never told us about an apartment."

"He didn't?" Koushiro replied, "Well I'm sure he just forgot. You can ask him when we get there."

Pocketing his phone and carrying his laptop under his arm, Koushiro led them out of the train station and into the dark streets of Tokyo.

...

(As Seen from Takato's Perspective)

At around a quarter to 6 Takato was unlocking the front door to the bakery. Rushing over to the front, Takato quickly grabbed a tray of freshly baked doughnuts and expertly set them on display in the front window case. By six o'clock, he had set up the window case with an assorted array of ring doughnuts, raspberry and blueberry jelly doughnuts, cake donuts, some fritters and a few glazed honey buns.

He returned the dirty trays into the back and set them on the rack of the dishwasher. Once it was done, he returned to the front and set out to sort the rolls out. First were the major sellers: the kaiser, french and italian rolls. Following shortly after were the ciabatta, the egg and onion, the wheat and the short rolls.

Once the rolls were arranged on the shelves, he set out to brew the coffee, tea and chocolate: Tea was the most important of the three because it sold the most, especially in the morning when people wanted a fresh cup to wake them in the morning. If the tea was good, it would encourage them to buy some bread or doughnuts too. If they liked it, they earned a repeat customer.

Just as he set out a thermos full of green tea and orange pekoe, the front door bell rang. The customers were an elderly couple who were carefully inspecting the rolls he had just placed out. Donning a smile, he cheerfully greeted the two, "Good morning! Welcome to the Matsuda Family Bakery!"

"Hello, young man," the elderly woman said first, "Me and my husband were looking to find some sweet corn bread. Would you happen to have any?"

"Sweet corn bread?" Takato repeated quietly, racking his brain. He knew they made sweet corn bread, he just wasn't sure where they kept it. The bakery was comparably larger to the smaller one he was used to in Shinjuku so he wasn't entirely sure where everything was kept. Unable to recall, apologetically said, "I am not really sure. If you could give me a minute."

"Oh of course," the elderly woman answered. Takato retreated into the back of the bakery, where his mother was busy mixing a fresh bowl of batter, "Hey, mom! Do we have any sweet corn bread?"

"Sweet corn bread? We don't have any fresh ones yet. Just whatever's left over from yesterday. Are there customers up front?"

"Yeah. An elderly couple looking for some sweet corn bread," was his answer. His mother nodded, "I think we keep it on the shelf by the front door."

"Okay thanks," Takato answered. He returned to the front, found the bread thy were looking for and gave it to them, "Is there anything else you would like today?"

"Oh no thank you," the elderly woman answered, "How much do we owe you?"

"The corn bread costs 442 yen," Takato answered. The elderly woman nudged her husband in the chest and said, "Dear."

The elderly retrieved some money from within his wallet and calmly gave Takato four 100 yen coins and a single 50 yen coin. Dashing over to the register, Takato ringed in the sale and gave them their change, "Thank you for shopping, please come again!"

"Such a nice boy," the elderly man commented as the two walked out. Sighing reluctantly, Takato returned to work.

............

(As Seen from Hikari's Perspective)

"Whoa!" Daisuke said first, "This is where he lives?"

"Yep," Koushiro answered, gazing forward at the large building before them. It was a far cry from the apartments that their parents owned, but was too grand for a college student who paying through with scholarships and his parents. Hikari felt she had to point that out to them, "But my parents could barely afford our house and Taichi's tuition. How on earth did he pay for this?"

"You know," Koushiro scratched his chin, "I never really thought about it. He gave this building as his address but I've never had the time to stop by and say hello. I suppose we'll just have to ask when we get up to his apartment. Come on, we can take the stairs. It's only on the second floor."

Hikari, Daisuke, Koushiro and Takeru took the stairs up to the second floor. From there, it was a briefly short walk past five doors before Koushiro stopped and pointed at a door labeled: Apt. 2003 – Yagami T, Sakuya A. Koushiro rapped on the door with his knuckles, quietly saying, "Taichi! It's Koushiro!"

Silence followed for a few seconds afterwards, before Koushiro knocked on the door with more force. Raising his voice, he said, "Taichi! It's Koushiro! Open up!"

The door creaked open, revealing nothing but the bare darkness behind. A tan-skinned girl, around Koushiro's age, with short brown hair stuck her head out of the door, promptly asking, "Taichi's not in. He's been out all night working on his semester project."

"Semester project? Do you know where he went?" Koushiro asked. The girl shook her head, "No. He doesn't tell me anything about it. I can give him a message when he gets back."

"Can you tell us where he is?" Koushiro pressed.

"I said I don't know. Is something going on?" she demanded, "Are you guys police or something? We've done absolutely nothing wrong."

"Do we look like police?" Daisuke spat out angrily. Hikari stepped in front of him just as the woman raised her fist to hit him, "Can't you tell us where my brother is?"

"Brother? Wait...You aren't his sister Hikari, are you?" the woman asked with a surprised, yet cheery tone. Hikari nodded, "Yes."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so rude. Here, come in," the girl opened the door to let them in, revealing the inside of the apartment to them along with her morning attire which seemed to consist exclusively of a loose white shirt. She stepped aside to let them into messy apartment, lit only by a lamp that illuminated the living room. Clothes were thrown all over the apartment floor along side boxes of old pizza and soda cans.

"Make yourselves at home. I'm sorry about the mess, we weren't expecting any guests to come over," she said apologetically to them. Koushiro waved it off, "Don't worry about it."

"Do you guys want anything to drink? Milk, tea, soda, water?" she listed off aimlessly.

"I'll take some soda," Koushiro said.

"Same," Daisuke added. Takeru and Hikari shook their heads but thanked her for her generosity. While they each took a seat in one of the chairs or couch, she disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared moments later with two cans of soda in her hand. Handing Koushiro and Daisuke their drinks, she apologized, "The fridge is broken so I hope you don't mind if its warm."

"It's okay," Koushiro said again, "My name is Izumi Koushiro by the way."

"Sakuya Asuka," she answered, turning to Daisuke and Takeru, "And you two are?"

"Motomiya Daisuke."

"Takaishi Takeru."

"As in Ishida Yamato's little brother?" she jumped excitedly. Takeru smiled, "Yep. I'm guessing you like his songs?"

"Like them? I love them! You have to get me his autograph!" She said excitedly, "Oh my gosh! I can't believe this! Yamato's little brother in my apartment! Maybe I should hold you hostage and force him to come to your rescue! No I can't do that! It'd be too mean and I don't want Yamato to hate me for it!"

"Eh...right," Takeru's smile became uneasy which made Hikari laugh. Hikari had almost forgotten about Yamato's career as a guitarist. His band had done quite well over the years, actually moving from small, private concerts for local bands to getting its first album out. Takeru, as Yamato's little brother, was often used by fangirls to get close to Yamato even though the blonde rock star was already had a woman in his life.

"You do know he has a girlfriend, right?" Takeru took that moment to say. This killed Asuka's spirits as she slumped down, "Yeah. But I have to hold on to the hope that one day he'll be single! I know it's selfish but Yamato is such a dreamboat!"

By now, Takeru's discomfort was apparent to everyone but Asuka who was staring dreamily into space. After a prolonged, awkward silence she asked, "by the way, you said you were Taichi's little sister right?"

"Yeah, do you know where he is?" Hikari asked. Asuka shook her head, "I really don't know. He's usually gone for most of the week. He's only here to change clothes and take a shower. After that, he's out again. It's really weird. I try to ask him where he goes, but he doesn't answer. Still I can't kick him out because he's the first room mate I had who covers his part of the bills. Most of them skimp out before the time comes to pay rent."

"Do you know where he works by the way?" Koushiro asked next, "This place is too much, even if his parents were to help out."

"Like I said, I don't know," Asuka said, "He just comes and goes."

At that instant, they heard the lock on the door undo itself. The door slid open to reveal a tan-skinned man with flame-like brown hair. He was adorned in black slacks, a white button-up business shirt and a red tie. He held a bag in each hand and another over his shoulder. He staggered inside for just a second and let out a low yawn which ended with an incomprehensible mumble. Closing the door behind him, Asuka said, "Hey Taichi, you have guests."

"Mmph," was all Taichi managed to grunt. He kicked his shoes off and dropped his bags onto the floor. As he stepped out of the dark entrance and into the living room, Hikari saw the heavy bags under his eyes. He had grown thinner since she had last seen him. His tired eyes wandered around the room, coming to rest on Hikari. Anguish over took her. This was the first time she had seen her brother in ages, and it wasn't exactly how she pictured it would be. She wasn't happy to see him and he didn't seem energized by her appearance.

"Ta-Taichi?" she stuttered. Taichi cocked his head to the side and smiled. It was a tired, defeated smile but a genuine smile none the less. What happened next, she didn't expect. He stumbled for one moment before collapsing straight onto the dirty floor, unmoving.

............

(As Seen from Takato's Perspective)

It was 7:55 according to the clock on the table. Takato was in the back of the bakery, helping his mother knead the dough for some pork buns. As he moved the dough back forth between his hands, the bell rang signaling the entrance of some customers. Pulling his hands out of the sticky paste, Takato washed his hands n the sink and went to the front, "Good morning! Welcome to the Matsuda Family Bakery!"

Standing in the entrance were Miyako and Iori. In Miyako's arms was the sleeping Poromon, who was snuggling closely to her. Miyako spoke first, "Hey Takato. We just came over to check up on you."

"Oh, thanks. I'm doing fine," Takato lied, "How are you guys?"

"Good. Ken is shaken up by the Dark Ocean, but its not as bad compared to last time," Miyako answered, "Hikari, Daisuke and TK ran off to get her brother."

"Her brother?"

"Yeah, it's a long story. But hey! The rest of us were thinking," Miyako gleefully began, "And we were wondering if you'd like to come and meet the rest of the team."

"The rest of the team?" Takato's eyes shot open, "You mean there's more of you?"

"Sure. There are Digidestined all over the world but I'm talking about the ones here, in Japan," Miyako explained, "We're having a reunion in the Digital World, and since you're one of us, we thought you might like to come along."

"Reunion? Hang on, I'm not a part of your team," Takato protested only to hear Miyako argue, "Of course you are! You're a digidestined, just like the rest of us! And since you're a member of our team, you've got to come and meet the others."

Where did he begin to respond? He was already part of another team: The Digimon Tamers. They were his team. Not these digidestined or whatever it was they called themselves. It wasn't that he hated these guys. He liked them. But being a tamer was probably the only connection he had to all of his friends in Shinjuku. He wasn't going to forsake that because they wanted him to be a part of their team. But how was he supposed to say that without hurting their feelings?

"Takato, honey, is something wrong?" his mother said, sticking her head out of the kitchen. Takato looked back at her and said, "Everything's fine, I'm just talking to some...friends."

"Hmm? Oh, hello," his mother cheerfully said to Miyako and Iori when her eyes lay on them, "How are you?"

"Good, thanks again for the doughnuts," Miyako smiled thankfully. The two of them shared a smile that hid a little secret which threw Takato off guard. Had his mom bribed them to hang around Takato?

"I never got any doughnuts," Iori said sheepishly, to which his mother said, "Well, feel free to help yourselves. We have some fresh ones we just put out."

"No, I couldn't," was Iori's answer, "At least not without paying first."

"Don't worry about it," his mother assured him, "We have plenty more where those came from. So what brings you two in here today?"

"We were wondering if Takato wanted to hang out for the afternoon," Miyako spoke. His mother's face lit up at those words and she said, "You can take the afternoon off if you want to be with your friends."

"But mom, what about the bakery?" Takato lied. He didn't really care about the bakery. He just didn't want to go. Sadly his mother was insistant, "Oh don't worry. I can take care of this place by myself. I just needed some help opening up the shop."

"See? Your mom thinks its fine! Come on, Takato," Miyako pleaded. Takato realized that he had been defeated on two fronts. He couldn't use his mom or the bakery as an excuse to not go and saying _'I don't want to be part of your team' _would have been too cold. What else was he to do? Defeated, Takato replied with a simple, "Okay...I'll go. Just let me change my clothes first."

"Alright," Miyako said. He took his apron off and replaced it with his winter coat. He led Miyako and Iori out of the bakery to his apartment.

............

(As Seen from Hikari's Perspective)

Koushiro and Asuka lifted Taichi off the floor and set him down to rest on the couch. TK and Daisuke kindly moved to the chairs so that Taichi's head could be placed on one of the rests. Sighing in disapproval, Asuka, "I figured this would happen...You know, in all the time he's been my roommate, i've never seen him sleep in his room. Or ever sleep, now that I think about it. He was probably running on nothing but those iced coffees I kept in the fridge."

"Will he be okay?" Hikari asked. Koushiro put two fingers against Taichi's neck and said, "Yeah...he probably just passed out from exhaustion. Well so much for bringing him to the reunion. I wonder what he was doing."

"Why don't we just open up his bag and find out?" Daisuke asked. He unzipped one of the bags Taichi dropped and began to sort through its contents. Hikari felt some guilt about letting Daisuke sort through her brother's things. It was an invasion of privacy and everyone was entitled to a little bit of secrecy. But Taichi was never the kind to keep secrets. She listened intently to Daisuke as he listed off the contents, "There's some books, notebooks, his D-Terminal, some computer stuff."

"Computer stuff?" Koushiro asked with a hint of excitement that made Hikari laugh. She never could understand Koushiro's attachment to technology. Everything, from the smallest blinking light to the biggest desktop fascinated him. Amused by Koushiro's excitement, she returned her attention to Daisuke and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"A change of clothes...hmm?" Daisuke retrieved one of the books from within. The title of the book read: 'The Practice of Law: Where Ethics and Logic Meet'. Daisuke turned the book open to its first page and, just as promptly, closed it, "There's no pictures."

"Well what did you expect?" TK asked, "It's a book from Tokyo University. They aren't going to buy picture books for college students. What's he doing with a book in Law anyway?"

"That's his major. Didn't he tell you?" Asuka asked. Everyone, even Hikari, shook their head. She and her family thought that Taichi was majoring in some irrelevant course until he was drafted by a soccer team. Taichi neglected to mention anything about Law. Setting the book aside, Daisuke opened up another bag, "Let's see...notebooks, tape recorders, cassettes, but not much else aside from that."

"Why don't we see what's on one of the tapes then?" Koushiro asked. Daisuke nodded and pulled the first tape out of the bag. Placing it in the tape recorder, Daisuke promptly pressed play. The tape started playing, with Taichi's voice beginning mid-sentence, "nd so you want intervention...No, did I say-"

"Koushiro?" Taichi's weak voice murmured. All heads turned back on Taichi, who was staring blankly up at the wall. Immediately, Daisuke pressed stop and threw the tape recorder back into the bag. In a daze, Taichi murmured, "I had the weirdest dream...Hikari was here with TK and Daisuke..."

"Uh...Taichi, that wasn't a dream," Koushiro looked down at the former leader of the digidestined, "They really were here."

"Were? I...didn't miss them...did I?"

"Let me try that again, they are here," Koushiro corrected himself. Taichi's eyes widened in disbelief.

.........

(As Seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato stepped out of the shower and dressed into a blue sweatshirt and plain khakis. Drying his hair with a towel, Takato took a moment to reassess his situation. Miyako, Iori and his mother had volunteered him to meet with some people he didn't know all because they had digimon like him. Objectively, there was no reason for him to complain. The problem, though, was much more complex than its surface value. He didn't want to forsake his old friends and team for a new one.

But he couldn't keep dwelling in the past. He had to move on. He didn't want to move on. He wanted to move backwards, to the way things were before.

Sighing, Takato grabbed his dirty clothes and stepped out of the bathroom. He quickly went to his room, placing his laundry in a small hamper to the side and grabbed his digivice and card deck. The others were brining their digimon so it only made sense for him to bring his digivice. Not that he would need it. After one last check to make sure he had everything, he went out into the dining area to meet with Miyako and Iori, who were so caught up in conversation that they didn't notice his return. Guilmon was staring at Miyako joyfully, drooling at the mouth.

"I can bring the drinks from my parent's store," she said happily, "TK and Daisuke promised they would get drinks after they and Hikari got Taichi and Koushiro. Yamato and Sora are going to bring some desert. Mimi is taking care of the main dishes."

"Is there going to be bread?" Guilmon asked. Miyako smiled deviously, "Oh much more than bread Guilmon! Eggrolls, Chicharon, Sushi, Chips, Chocolate, Soda and more!"

At this point, Guilmon began to drool in excited anticipation.

"What about Jyou and Ken?" Iori asked. Miyako shrugged, "You know Jyou. The only person busier than him has got to be Taichi. Ken is still a little shaken from the Dark Ocean so I might bring him home before the party's over."

"Where exactly is this party anyway?" Takato asked the two, which caught them off guard. Miyako, grabbing her chest in her hand, gasped, "Don't do that!"

"Sorry, next time I'll walk in banging pots and pans," Takato replied sarcastically, "So where is this thing at anyway?"

"The Digital World! Where else?" Miyako said excitedly, "So are you ready to go?"

"Hang on," Takato interrupted, "How are we going to go to the Digital World?"

"With our D3s," Miyako explained. She held up a little white gadget colored red and explained, "They can open up a gate to the Digital World from any computer. We're going to meet in the school's computer lab."

"But school is closed on the weekend," Takato pointed out.

"The school leaves the back gate open in case of emergency," Iori answered. Takato, surprised by Iori's answer, asked, "You've done this before...haven't you?"

"Of course!" Miyako answered proudly, "So are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Takato answered quietly. Taking the lead, Miyako said, "Alright! Let's go!"

............

(As Seen from Hikari's Perspective)

"A reunion? I was never told about a reunion," Taichi said. Asuka patted him on the shoulders and said, "That's cause you never stop to check your mail. I kept telling you that you had letters but you always said you would get to it later."

Taichi was speechless. Hikari was shocked at her brother's carelessness. Sure, he was lazy and tended to blow things off, but he never let things get out of hand. This was completely unlike him. Even more so, Taichi seemed troubled. The whole time, he had refused to meet anyone's gaze, either staring at the floor, his shoes or the ceiling. She moved to her brother, unsure of what to say or do. She stretched her hand out to touch him, only to find that he moved away from her.

"Taichi is something wrong?" Koushiro asked. He shook his head, "No...it's nothing. So hey, I'll go take a shower and we can go to the reunion."

He rose from the couch, still refusing to look at anyone, and went straight to the shower. Hikari couldn't place it, but something was wrong with her brother. He was normally cheerful and outgoing, not withdrawn and distant. What could have been wrong with him? This was completely unlike him! Something must have happened that she didn't know about. OR maybe she was just being nervous. Yeah, that was it. She was just worried about her brother and was running to conclusions out of frustration.

They waited in silence as the noise of water running in the shower echoed through the apartment. Even Daisuke, who had difficulty staying quiet for long periods of time, was as still as a corpse. Hikari felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw TK who offered a reassuring smile.

After a long, awkward silence, Taichi rose out of the shower in only a towel. He disappeared into his room only to reappear a few minutes later dressed in a blue shirt over a gray sweater, a pair of gray jeans, blue sneakers. Rubbing his eyes, he said, "Okay, I'm ready. Are we going?"

"Yeah, come on," Koushiro said. Hikari, Takeru and Daisuke followed the two out of the apartment and into the day. As they left, Taichi looked back and said, "I'll see you later Asuka!"

As they left the apartment building, Koushiro nudged Taichi in the ribs, "So Taichi...have you and Asuka...you know?"

"No, we haven't," Taichi said gruffly, "She's my room mate and nothing beyond that. And I'd appreciate if you didn't bring that kind of thing up around my sister."

"Taichi," Hikari said with a tone of frustration, "I know about sex. I'm not a little kid, anymore."

"You're still my _kid_ sister," Taichi said, which made her smile. It was nice to have the protective Taichi she knew back. But still, it didn't make her happy. Why wasn't she happy? Taichi was coming to the reunion, but it didn't make her happy. If anything, it filled her with dread. But wasn't this what she wanted? No. It wasn't because Taichi wasn't exactly acting like the older brother she knew. Taichi never referred to her as his 'kid' sister and he was never this tense or serious. Something had changed him, and that only worried her more.

.........

**Author's Notes: **Hello again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. First things first, I know some of you were expecting some romance between Takato and Hikari because that's the main pairing. I'm sorry that I didn't meet your expectation and I hope you can forgive me. However, there's more to romance than two teenagers sucking each others faces off – which seems to be the majority. Takato and Hikari aren't going to start dating over one little thing in the Dark Ocean and I don't want that to be the only tool that brings them together. Romantic relationships don't happen over night like they might in some romance fics. Takato might have Hikari on the mind, but he is still can't let go of his feelings for Jeri or his desire to be with his friends in Shinjuku. Likewise, Hikari has only known Takato for two days so their relationship thus far would be described as new friends.

Well, I apologize if it seemed as though I were ranting. I'm just very tired and somewhat cranky. The next update will come on January 2nd! If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism because I have never written a romance before. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	7. The Distant Brother

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Well folks, I hope you had a Happy Holidays and an exciting New Year. I would like to begin by saying I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors for this year. Now that its out of the way, I would like to thank everyone who left a review for Takato's Light. You guys are really great. I also wish a happy hello to creepingshadow with apologies for posting without your go ahead. I couldn't put it off any longer so I'm sorry. Now, I would like to respond to reviews:

**Mizore53: **They might. And by might, I mean will.

**chm01: **That is a very good question. I modeled his behavior after a friend of mine who behaved in a similar manner for a reason similar to the reason I gave Taichi. As for what, you'll just have to read to find out.

**Firehedgehog: **Something did happen to Taichi, you'll just have to read to find out.

**Ghostking666: **Keep talking! ^^ Really, this is just helping me fill out the gaps its the story line. Okay so Koushiro meets the makers, Takato sees the Digital World...what else was there?

**Tri-Emperor of the Twilight: **Actually, only Daisuke, Miyako, Iori and Ken are like that. The Digidestined from Season 1 didn't seem to hesitant when it came to deleting digimon.

**Light-Sakura: **I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

**Theban118: **I'm glad you agree. Honestly, I don't know how I'll end this story yet so it can anywhere from this point.

**I Am Rolf: **Don't worry, I have no intention of doing so. This story will update while I have time.

**Starwings1: **Thanks. Words like that are what keep me writing.

**Titanium Gold: **I'm glad you like it and I'm sorry if I used the Japanese names. I could only find Adventure 02 in Japanese and Tamers in English so I had to make some compromises. And don't worry about reviews. As long as people read, I will write.

**Umeplumblossom: **Happy to see you like it! I'm sorry for the delays but college is far from a fun experience.

And so, without further ado, I present the continuation of Takato's Light

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 7: The Distant Brother**

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

The only noise came from the train as it rattled on down the tracks. Taichi had fallen asleep as soon as the car started moving and was using Hikari's shoulder as a pillow. He was lighter than normal. In fact, if she dared to say it, he was probably lighter than her. She knew he appeared thin, but she never would have thought that he lost enough to weight less than her!

Across the car, Takeru and Daisuke were huddled around Koushiro's laptop making strange demands to go from one website to the next so they could show him all assortments of videos and pictures. Every time a video started playing, Koushiro would burst into fits of laughter while commenting that he had never heard of any these videos in all his time on the internet.

_BEEP BOOP!_

"You're Attention Please! We Are Now Arriving At Shinjuku Station! Please Stand Clear Of Doors And Allow Others To Enter/Exit The Car! Thank You For Your Cooperation!"

_BEEP BOOP!_

The train slowed to a halt and the doors opened to let weekend commuters onboard. Among them was a red haired girl in a white tank and jeans. She wore peculiar black shades that hid her eyes and carried a black case on a loose belt she wore. For a split second, Hikari swore the girl had looked right at her before she confined herself in the back of the car. She had a clear dominating air about her that made Hikari uneasy and unnerved her own self confidence.

As the train rattled on, Hikari kept shooting quick glances at the girl every chance he could. Each time, she saw the girl giving her a cold, dead stare through her sun glasses. In fact, Hikari was certain the girl was staring right at her and Taichi.

"So...ya...to..." Taichi murmured in his sleep, before jolting awake in a panic. His eyes were wide, with a vague hint of despair, anger and fear standing out in them.

"Taichi, is something wrong?" Hikari asked her older brother, only to be answered by him promptly falling asleep again. Thankfully, this time Taichi fell asleep in his chair as opposed to leaning on her shoulder. However, she couldn't help but wonder what Taichi meant. Silently, she said to herself, "Soyato? A rude party?"

_BEEP BOOP!_

"You're Attention Please! We Are Now Arriving At Odaiba Station! Please Stand Clear Of Doors And Allow Others To Enter/Exit The Car! Thank You For Your Cooperation!"

_BEEP BOOP!_

When the train finally rolled to a stop, they filed out of the train car and exited the station. As the crossed the ticket barrier, Hikari noticed the girl from the train was behind them. She seemed to stare straight at Hikari with some kind of peircing gaze.

.........

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Takato, Miyako and Iori walked down the sidewalk around a large cardboard box which they were using to hide Guilmon. All three of them were pretending to carry the large box, but the pair of clawed red feet that stuck out of the bottom was quite the attention grabber. It was only a short walk to Ken's apartment. Upon their arrival, Miyako ran inside to fetch Ken whilst Takato and Iori kept an eye on Guilmon.

"Takatomon, when are we going to get the food?" the digimon asked, from beneath the box. Takato shrugged and replied, "Sorry buddy. Try to wait a little longer, alright?"

"But Guilmon's hungry now!" the digimon whined, "Wait...I smell digimon."

"Hey guys, we're back," Miyako said joyfully with a small Poromon nuzzled quietly in one arm and a plastic bag filled with a box of soda in the other. Behind her was Ken with hands in his pockets and Wormmon riding on his shoulder. He was pale faced and his eyes were downcast. Clearly, he was still distraught from the events of the Dark Ocean.

"How are you feeling Ken?" Iori asked quietly. Ken's eyes perked up at Iori and a weak smile appeared. At barely a whisper, he answered, "I'm fine...what's in the box?"

"Takatomon! Guilmon's hungry!" the red dinosaur said, as if on cue. Miyako laughed, set her bag down, and retrieved an orange soda can from inside, "Here, have some of this. It's not food but it should help until we have to get to the Digital World."

Guilmon took the orange soda in hand, examining it carefully, before biting the top of the can off and guzzling down the contents. He wiped his mouth with the back of his claw and asked, "Can I have more?"

"Sorry," Miyako answered, "Not until the party, okay?"

Guilmon groaned hungrily. Takato rubbed his digimon partner's back comfortingly, "Just hang in there buddy. You can eat all you want when we get there."

Guilmon's groans grew louder, as did the grumbling in his stomach. Miyako chuckled quietly and once again took the lead of the group, "Okay, let's all go!"

.........

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

"The idea behind my project was to connect multiple computers so that they could function like a single computer. Normally, that requires advanced knowledge in networking and programming just to accomplish. My goal was to write a simple program that could unify all the computers in any network. That way, major companies or homes on a budget don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on upgrades every time a program with higher specs is released. Instead, it can just borrow the unused memory, processing power, or even hard disk space from another computer to run the program. It would also remove IT guys from the equation since most of them have obscene rates," Koushiro explained quickly, without stopping to catch his breath.

"That's great Koushiro," Takeru replied with a pat on the back, "But what does any of that mean?"

Koushiro went off on another explanation which was just as confusing, considering he was explaining the idea to Takeru and Daisuke of all people. Hikari did her best to hide her laughter, which proved difficult when Taichi burst into a fit of laughs beside her, "Daisuke, TK, you guys just bit off more than you could chew!"

They were just a block away from the school and could already see it towering over the nearby houses. Hikari peered over her shoulder to see if the girl from the train was still following them. Much to Hikari's relief, she was no longer following them. The girl followed their group all the way out of the station and into a corner store where Daisuke bought some juice and soda for the party. Taichi wasn't to satisfied with the idea of drinking soda and purchased a case of beer instead. Afterwards, they slipped out quietly into the street without attracting unwanted attention.

After the corner store, they went to Daisuke's Apartment so he could sneak DemiVeemon out and retrieve a soccerball. Afterwards, they decided to go to the Yagami residence. Hikari wasn't too worried about getting Gatomon though. She set the alarm clock before she left and instructed Gatomon to meet them at the school. She knew the way by heart and was the most normal looking of all the digimon. She would get there fine, assuming she wasn't already at the school taking a cat nap. As they walked on Koushiro asked, "So, Taichi, how come you never told us you were in Law School?"

Taichi hands suddenly dug into his pockets, and shook his head without uttering a word. Hikari looked at her brother, eagerly waiting to hear his answer.

"I was busy," Taichi answered, which certainly did answer the question albeit while evading any reasonable answer. Daisuke pressed the issue by asking, "Well, you're not busy now. So tell us, why law? I always thought you'd go straight for the soccer team and get drafted for the Tokyo Verdy."

"Things change, Daisuke," Taichi answered, once again evasively. This time, Takeru spoke only asking, "What exactly changed?"

Taichi turned around to face the others. He had a menacing look on his face which caught everyone, including Hikari, by surprise. Tai barked out, "What is with all the sudden interest in my life?"

"Calm down, Taichi," Daisuke said, putting his hands up between himself and Taichi, "We just wanted to know what you've been up to since we hardly talk anymore."

"I already told you, I've been busy, that's it," Taichi growled, "So can we drop the subject?"

"You must have been if you're in Tokyo University's Law Program," Takeru pointed out, "You're roommate says you're never at the apartment except for a shower."

"I've been busy, okay?" Taichi said again with an angry tone. Hikari was shaken by her brother's display. She had never seen him so keen on avoiding a subject, especially when he was famous for diving head first into the most delicate of subjects. It was ironic that he was now on the receiving end, given how often he would press questions into delicate matters. But the question on her mind was why? What was he trying so hard to avoid answering.

"Okay the back gate is this way," Miyako said from down the street to Takato, Ken, Iori, and a giant moving box. A moving box that box with red, clawed legs and a hole where two yellow pupils stood out rather uncandidly. In one hand was a bag of drinks and in the other was Poromon who was either asleep or pretending to be a doll. Behind her was Ken with a Wormmon riding his shoulder candidly.

"I smell juice," the red digimon said excitedly, "Takatomon?"

"No way Guilmon," Miyako said, "You can have some more at the party, but you'll have to wait until then."

"Guilmon?" Taichi and Koushiro repeated, exchanging surprised looks. Miyako waved to them from down the street and said, "Koushiro! Taichi! It's good to see you!"

"Hello Miyako," Koushiro said, to the ecstatic girl as their two groups finally caught up with one another, "How are you guys?"

"It could be warmer but I can't complain," Iori answered, while Ken gave a simple nod. Koushiro and Taichi turned their attention to Takato who was standing nervously in the back by the box. Koushiro spotted him first and asked, "Who's he?"

"Oh right!" Miyako said, bringing Takato forward, "Taichi! Koushiro! This is the newest member of our team: Matsuda Takato."

"Newest member?" Koushiro and Taichi exchanged surprised looks. Takato smiled at them uneasily, "Eh...hi?"

............

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Takato couldn't help but fidget nervously. This was it. He was meeting the other members of the team. This sealed it officially, didn't it? He was now a digidestined, whatever that was. The red haired guy extended his free hand forward and said, "Hi Takato, I'm Izumi Koushiro."

Hesitantly, Takato shook Koushiro's hand and answered, "Nice to meet you."

"And I'm Yagami Taichi," the other said with a passive wave before replacing his hand in his pocket. His greeting was less warming but, all the same, Takato replied, "Nice to meet you, too."

"So if you're a digidestined, does that mean that's your partner under the box?" Koushiro asked, pointing at the large and poorly inspired disguise. Sadly, Guilmon decided to throw the box off at that instant, "Takatomon, Guilmon is hungry!"

Panicking, Takato threw the box back over his partner and disapprovingly stated, "Guilmon! You can't come out yet!"

"But the box is hot!" Guilmon whined. Takato was unsure of how to react. When it came to food, Guilmon was unnecessarily unruly and even harder to placate. He was probably making a horrible first impression for Taichi and Koushiro. He was certain since they were laughing loudly. Embarassed, Takato quietly said, "Sorry."

"What for?" Koushiro asked, "It's not you fault. Our digimon are like that too."

"Maybe your digimon," a voice said from behind Takato. He was suddenly aware of what felt like eyes staring down the small of his back. Guilmon began to growl angrily and his eyes became unfocused and blank. He turned his head to peer behind him just in time to see a yellow glove with stripes. Or perhaps it was a claw? In either case, Takato received a face full of it followed by two white paws. As he toppled over, Guilmon moved his box just in time to stop him. Searching for his assailant, Takato found himself staring down a yellow-eyed, white cat wearing a pair of yellow gloves and a tail ring sitting comfortably in Hikari's arms. The cat eyed Koushiro accusingly, "Tentomon might be a bottomless pit but I'm not."

"Is that a fact Gatomon? Then how come you're always the first one full whenever there's fish served," Koushiro snickered. Everyone, except for Takato and Guilmon who were left out of the loop, laughed. Hikari was the first one to stop laughing and said Takato, "Takato, this is my partner: Gatomon."

"Nice to meet you," Takato said.

"Likewise," the cat greeted disinterestedly. Takato felt put off by the cat, considering she used him as a jumping stone without an apology and didn't seem remotely concerned by his presence. Looking at Hikari, the cat asked, "So, are we going to stand around all day or are we going to the party?"

"Relax Gatomon," Hikari petted her digimon partner on the head, "We're just having some fun and there's no rush to get there."

The cat's face flushed instantaneously, while her partner smiled away. Takato had to admit, she looked cute when she smiled. It was more fitting than a frown. As an added plus, she seemed much more relaxed if not calm. The others were just as happy and relaxed as she was, but she stood out more to Takato. Without realizing it, a content smile appeared across his face.

"What are you smiling about?" Miyako whispered in his ear. Takato jerked backwards with a loud yelp, "What?"

Miyako smiled deviously, "I saw you eyeing Hikari..."

"Don't be ridiculous Miyako!" Takato replied quickly, waving his hands dismissively. An unconvinced look drew itself on her face before another smile appeared. With a taunting tone, she said, "Whatever you say Takato. But just so you know, she's single."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takato asked. Miyako returned his dismissive wave, "Come on, the others are already inside the school."

Takato glanced around and realized she was absolutely right. Everyone else already walked passed the gates, including his digimon partner who was behind Daisuke and sniffing at a bag of drinks in his hand. Takato wouldn't have minded Guilmon leaving him behind if it weren't for the fact that he was no longer under his box. Sighing, Takato folded the box in and chased after them into the school.

It was odd to be inside the school on a weekend. Especially considering he hadn't been at the school for even a week yet. Two days in his new school and he already a whole new host of kids with digimon partners, been to a new world called the "Dark Ocean", was reunited with Guilmon and was on his way back to the Digital World. What exactly would happen next?

They went to the computer lab on the second floor of the school, where all of the computers sat in sleep mode. Koushiro sat down at the closest computer, turned it on and began typing away at the keyboard. Everyone in the room sat in silent anticipation, watching Koushiro working away on the computer until the screen turned yellow and a black window containing a map appeared on the screen. Koushiro zoomed in on the map and selected and clicked on a small area surrounded by trees. Automatically, the map disappeared and window turned into a solid red. Koushiro turned to the others, "Okay, who wants to open the Digiport?"

"Alright, I got this!" Daisuke announced, holding up a blue version of the digivice Miyako referred to as the D3. Instantly, the red disappeared replaced by a small scene of a forest. And then, as if by some form of magic, Daisuke was sucked into the computer, followed by Koushiro and Iori. Takeru, Miyako and Ken went next, leaving Takato with Guilmon, Taichi and Hikari.

The same magic must have grabbed Takato because he felt a strong force pulling him towards the computer. The monitor grew larger until finally it was bigger than Takato himself. While Hikari and Taichi were rather calm about being sucked into the computer, Takato couldn't help but scream. It wasn't so much fear or pain as it was surprise at how curious the sensation was. The image of the forest came closer and closer to Takato until he finally landed face first into the dirt. Followed by Guilmon who promptly landed on his back.

"Hey guys," a woman's voice said, "You're late aren't you?"

Takato perked his head to the side and saw a girl around Taichi and Koushiro's age standing to the side with her arms folded. Her shoulder length orange hair was held back by a hairping, and was complimented well by her white turtle neck and blue jeans. In one hand she held a plastic bag filled with various fruits, bars of chocolate, boxes of cookies and cups of yogurt. Behind her was a guy of about the same age although slightly taller with equally long blonde hair that was parted at the side. He was dressed in a tight black shirt under a brown coat and tan khakis. Hanging from his shoulder was a guitar case. Flanking them were a pink bird that flapped its wings casually by the girl and a strange, horned animal wearing striped fur beside the boy.

"Hey little bro," the guy said, pulling up Takeru, "How have you been?"

"Good," Takeru replied ecstatically, "And you Yamato?"

"Great, I managed to convince my manager to give me the weekend off from the tour," Yamato replied, readjusting the guitar case onto his other shoulder. Yamato and the girl faced each other with warm smiles, "How are the rest of you guys?"

"Good," everyone but Takato and Guilmon answered in unison. Yamato took note of Takato and Guilmon and asked, "Oh hello, who're you guys?"

"Oh, that's right! We haven't introduced you yet," Takeru pointed out happily, "Takato, Guilmon, this is my brother Yamato and his girlfriend Sora, and their digimon: Piyomon and Gabumon! Sora, Yamato, Gabumon, Biyomon, I'd like you to meet our newest addition to the team Takato and his partner Guilmon."

"Nice to meet you, Takato," Yamato nodded in Takato's direction. Takato returned the nod silently. For that instant alone, he lost the ability to talk and was unable to form any words. At least until Guilmon went up to Sora and started sniffing the bag in her hand. If there was one thing Takato didn't miss about Guilmon, it was his inability to show restraint when promises concerning food were made. It was also that same childishness that Takato loved about his partner, even if it became overwhelmingly annoying. Delighted, Guilmon asked, "Can we eat now?"

"We can eat when Mimi gets here with the main dishes," Sora explained, "She _'fashionably late'_, as always."

"Speaking of late, where's Jo?" Koushiro asked. Sora and Yamato shrugged, "We thought he would be coming with you guys."

"Oh well, no worries," Koushiro said dismissively, "He probably lost track of time studying for another one of his exams."

"Geez Koushiro, count me out before I get there why don't you?" A newcomer said appearing through the thicket of trees. His shoulder length blue hair was slicked back so that they seemed to hold a pair of rectangle glasses together. Unlike the others who dressed casually, he wore a white, buttoned-up dress shirt under a blue cotton vest and a pair of navy slacks. To top it off, he wore a handsome pair of loafers and a brown trench coat. Beside him was a white, seal like creature with red hair and blue striped which was helping him carry a large dish pan whose contents were wrapped in aluminum foil. He and his digimon partner stepped over a root but he let slip the dish and it fell to ground.

"POISON IVY!" a voice cried whilst three whip-like vines shot out of the brush and caught the other end of the dish. A cactus-like digimon emerged, followed by a young woman dressed in a pink dress which was hid under a brown cow-girl jacket. Her hair was tied back into a bun, except for two long strands that parted down the side of her face. While her digimon partner was carrying a large case that rattled loudly with each step, the girl was carrying a large-sunken in tub covered with aluminum foil.

Accompanying them was an orange dinosaur with lage green eyes carrying another wrapped bowl, a rodent like digimon with wings for ears and an insectoid who were both carrying a large platter, and finally a yellow armadillo with a bowl perfectly balanced plate on its head.

"Sorry about that Palmon," the guy said apologetically, as the other digimon walked past him and set the trays they were carrying down. The girl shook her head, "No worries, Jo. If you hadn't agreed to help we wouldn't have gotten all the main dishes here."

"Iori!" the armadillo cheered happily, approaching the youngest member of the team, "How've ya been?"

"I'm good, Armadillomon," Iori said happily. The same occurred between Taichi and the orange dinosaur, Koushiro and the insect, Takeru and winged critter name Patamon. As all these warm meetings went on, Takato noticed Gatomon leapt out of Hikari's arms to meet Patamon.

"Hey Mimi," Sora smiled happily.

"Sora! How are you and Yamato? You two are still dating right?" Mimi went on excitedly. Takato saw Taichi cough out of the corner of his eye at the word. Sora assured her, "Of course."

"That's so nice! I'm really happy for you two," Mimi replied, "Well, no point in letting all this food go to waster after me, Jo, Palmon and Gomamon worked hard to get all the food here."

"It smells good, what exactly did you make?" a drooling Daisuke asked, trying to peer into the covered food. Instantly Mimi slapped Daisuke away, "That's a surprise for when Palmon and I finish setting everything up. Ready Palmon?"

"You got it Mimi!" the cacti responded, "POISON IVY!"

Palmon's fingers shot out of her body and wrapped themselves around the basket she carried. Flinging the contents into the air which consisted of a blanket, plates, forks, spoons, chopsticks, napkins and glasses. Takato's jaw practically fell to the ground while the vines whipped and slashed through the air, assembling the blanket on the ground and pairing the plates with a fork, spoon and glass each. The chopsticks were wrapped in the napkins and placed gently in the center. At the end of her display, everyone clapped in awe.

As Mimi arranged the trays in the center, Daisuke asked, "That was a neat trick!"

"I know, right?" Mimi replied, "Palmon and I were working on that for days until we got it right. And now I present to you: Mimi's World Class Picnic Delight!"

She ripped the aluminum off to reveal trays of mami noodles, fried rice, a bowl of curry, a bowl of plain white rice, a platter of filleted fish and a whole roasted pig completed with an apple in the mouth. Everyone present began to drool at the mouth with gluttonous eyes while Mimi looked on proudly at the fruit of her work. Takato turned his head to face his partner only to find his partner was already preparing to take a bite out of the pig. His instincts kicking in, Takato dove forward in time to close Guilmon's mouth before any drool ruined the pig or a huge chunk of aforementioned pig disappeared. Guilmon, on the other hand, didn't enjoy losing a bite of such a delicious meal and tried to free himself of Takato's grasp, "No Guilmon! Wait!"

"Eh? Whose this?" Mimi asked with curiousity. This time, Daisuke gave the introduction, "Hey guys, these are the newest members of our team: Takato and Guilmon. Takato, Guilmon, I'd like you to meet Jo and his partner Gomamon, Mimi and her partner Palmon, TK's partner Patamon, Taichi's partner Agumon, Iori's partner Armadillomon, and Koushiro's partner Tentomon."

"Oh, nice to meet you!" Mimi greeted, adopting a more perky tone. Jo did just the same, greeting Takato with a tired grin, "How are you doing?"

"Hi," Takato stuttered, "I'm sorry about Guilmon, he's kinda hungry."

"Oh don't worry! Who wouldn't be hungry to eat such a nice meal?" Mimi laughed, "Okay everyone, dig in."

And just like that, everyone began helping themselves to the food. Takato was unsure of how to react to the appetites of these digidestined which oddly reminiscent of his partner Guilmon. It was disturbing to see the appetite of the team that was so keen on his membership. At the same, he wasn't at all surprised considering Guilmon's eating habits. To be frank, Guilmon was the first to take a large chunk out of the roasted pig which disappeared as quickly as the chunk left the pig. Thankfully, it had no repercussions on his hunger since he had missed breakfast. Obeying his hunger, Takato took a plate and helped himself to some noodles and fish.

...............

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari was happy to see all her friends together again. It was times like these that she really missed. After all the older digidestined were reacquainted with their digimon, they began to catch up with one another. Yamato was still on tour with his band and was still dating Sora. Mimi was taking classes at a catering school and was preparing for her final exams in a couple of weeks. Koushiro showed everyone a sample from his semester project which boggled everyone but Ken and Miyako who were quick to offer their ideas on why it wasn't working. Jo was working on his internship for Medicinal School and was the youngest person in his class.

Hikari surveyed the scene before her. Yamato and Sora were cuddled together at the foot of tree, feeding each other on occasion. Mimi and Palmon were discussing new ways to make her recipes better through the addition or removal of ingredients. Koushiro, Tentomon, Ken, Wormmon, and Miyako were all trying to figure out what was wrong with Koushiro's project. Poromon and Biyomon were in the middle of a heated race around the area whilst Veemon, Takeru, and Daisuke were in the middle of a heated soccer match with Takato, Guilmon and Gabumon. Gatomon and Patamon were huddled in the tree branch above Sora and Yamato. Everyone was having a good time, except for Taichi and Agumon who chose to seclude himself away from the others under a tree at the opposite end of the clearing.

Why was her brother so distant all of a sudden? He was never like this. She wanted to talk to him, but his answers were just evasive. If she didn't know any better, she would guess that he didn't even want to be here, let alone with them. Did he hate them? What had they done to deserve such treatment?

"Hikari?" Sora asked, appearing beside her with her hand wrapped around Yamato's, "Do you know why Taichi is sitting at the other end of the clearing?"

"I really wish I knew," Hikari answered, "On our way over here, we tried talking to him but he just kept saying 'drop it'."

"Hikari, are you okay?" Sora asked with a quizzical look.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, "I just thought seeing my brother again for the first time in a while would be a little happier. But instead...its almost as if he doesn't want anything to do with us. On our way here, I hear him say Soyato."

"Soyato?" Yamato repeated, "As in disgusting party?"

"I don't know," Hikari shrugged, "I wish I did but he won't even talk to me."

"Well, why don't we go talk to him?" Sora suggested before lifting Hikari off the grass. Together, the three of them walked over to Taichi who was now alone as Agumon left to join in the game of soccer with Takato. As they drew closer, Hikari noticed Taichi had a lit cigarette in his mouth which he quickly discarded once he realized they were coming closer. Smothering it with his foot, Taichi casually asked, "Hey, what's up?"

"We were about to ask you the same question," Sora commented, "Is something wrong, Taichi?"

"I'm a little tired, but I can't complain," Taichi answered. Sora shook her head, "You know what I mean Taichi."

"I'm tired, what more do you want?" Taichi asked his childhood best friend. Sora, growing impatient, said, "Taichi, we saw that cigarette. We just want to know if anything's wrong. After all, we're you friends."

"Well then you have nothing to worrry about" Taichi answered with a grin, "Everything is fine."

Hikari was shocked. She knew Taichi enough to know a genuine smile. That was not his smile. It was fake and had no hint of happiness in it. As Hikari pondered his reasons for lying, Sora asked, "Can we at least play a game of soccer? You know, for old times sake."

"No thanks," Taichi answered. He stood up and dusted himself off before walking into the forest. Hikari saw the scowl on Sora's face and, just as she was about to talk, Yamato spoke, "Where are you going Taichi?"

"A walk," Taichi said, . On sheer impulse, Hikari chased after her older brother, "Taichi! Wait!"

Taichi hurried his pace, moving as fast as he could without breaking off into a full run. Hikari chased her older brother into the forest and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Taichi spun around and grabbed her by the shoulder of her own shirt. Her mouth fell open when she saw the hateful glare in his eyes. When he realized who he grabbed, he released her from his grasp and muttered, "Sorry."

Hikari froze in fear, unsure of what to make of her brother's actions. The way he grabbed her and the look in his eye told her everything. If he hadn't realized he was holding Hikari, he would have gladly beat her to death. He would have killed her then and there. The very thought terrified her, robbing her of any ability to move. Unable to plead with her brother to stop, she watched him walk away into the forest.

...............

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

"Haha! We won!" Daisuke proudly proclaimed as ran a victory lap around the field. Takato, too short of breath, was unable to point out the one problem with Daisuke's proclamation. Not that it mattered since Miyako decided to say it, "It's not really a victory if most of the other team doesn't know how to play, Daisuke."

"That just shows how awesome I am!" Daisuke laughed, folding his arms behind his head, "How about a rematch guys?"

"No thanks," Takeru answered, much to Daisuke's chagrin, "Oh come on! One more round! First to three points!"

"No, I'm getting something to drink," Takato said, making his way to the pack of soda that sat with the rest of the food from the picnic. He took a can of orange soda, used the pull tab to open the soda and down the whole can in a matter of seconds. Once it gone, he decided to take in his surroundings. So this was the Digital World. It was certainly different from when he was last here. Then again, the D-Reaper wasn't destroying everything so it seemed life was finally able to flourish. Gazing at the tree line, he saw Hikari emerge out of the woods with Yamato and Sora in tow. Hikari's face was pale and unfocused. Sora's arms were wrapped around Hikari in a comforting manner, while Yamato stayed close behind the two and was peering over his shoulder ever few seconds into the forest.

A sudden drive arose in Takato, telling him to find out what had happened. Before Takato had time to give the idea any further thought or scrutiny, he was standing before the three and asking, "What happened?"

"We don't know," Sora said, "Taichi went into the forest and Hikari went after him. We wanted to give them a minute to let them sort things out on their own. But when neither of them came out, we went in after them and found Hikari spacing out on the ground."

"Hikari?" Takato said to Hikari, his voice panicked. His thoughts were racing, what exactly did she see or did Taichi do that scared he? She looked up at Takato at the sound of his voice, her eyes distant and unfocused. And just as quickly, they became red and teary. Before anyone could figure out what had happened, Hikari wrapped her arms buried her face into his shoulder. His shirt became wet and silenced whimpers reached his ears. That was when he realized Hikari was crying.

Unsure of how else to react, Takato returned Hikari's embrace. If for nothing else, then to comfort her. It troubled him to see Hikari in tears. He tried to assure himself that it was because of her close resemblance to Jeri, but he couldn't ignore the aching voice in the back of his head telling him otherwise. No! Jeri was the only girl for him. But he couldn't deny that part of him didn't want to let Hikari go. Even if the circumstances were far from ideal.

However, as if to ruin the moment, a loud scream burst out from with the forest. Hikari and Takato broke apart just as all eyes turned in the direction of the scream. Hikari, her face still grief stricken, gasped, "That's the direction Taichi went."

She took off in a sprint, followed shortly by Patamon and Gatomon. Takato took chase after them, shouting, "Hikari! Wait!"

Takato wasn't entirely to sure what had just happened, but he was certain of one thing. He was going to make sure no one hurt Hikari.

..........

**Author's Notes: **Well, another chapter over and done with! The next update will come in six weeks on February 13th! If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism because I have never written a romance before. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	8. Growlmon to the Rescue

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Well folks, Valentine's is almost amongst us. I hope you enjoy your time with your significant other. I'll be getting caught up on all of my overdue projects. Now that its out of the way, I would like to thank everyone who left a review for Takato's Light. You guys are really great. I also wish a happy hello to creepingshadow with apologies for posting without your go ahead. To make a long story short: I've been so busy that I see numbers in my sleep. In fact, I didn't have enough time to flesh out the story or properly check for errors so forgive any mistakes. Now to respond to reviews:

**CreepingShadow: **I'm glad you liked it. I'm sorry I couldn't get this to you in time. I'm just so tired from all the work I've had.

**Lord Pata: **I'm glad you caught those parts. Patagato Forever!

**chm01: **Thanks. I'm trying my best to keep it all logical, but time constraints are forcing me to rush the work on my chapters.

**Ghostking666: **I don't really know or care what Digital World their in. To be honest, I'm kind of writing this as I go now because I never planned too far in this story. But no, Taichi didn't fall into the wrong crowd but something IS up with him.

**Tri-Emperor of the Twilight: **Heh heh...you caught on. But can you guess what that jealousy is doing to him?

**TheEndlessVoid: **As long as people read, I will write! Enjoy!

**Coppa-Cola: **In that order: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoys Taichi's new attitude, and Rika doesn't hate Hikari. Rika's just mean like that. They don't even know each other...yet

**angelspawn: **I'm hurt that you think I would discontinue this story. Also, they've already met Takato. Doesn't he count? He's a tamer and they're digidestined. What could go wrong?

**Light-Sakura: **I have a way with cliff hangers...or is it women? Oh well, I'm sorry for the slow update schedule but I do have a very busy schedule to keep.

**Kaze Tenraku:** I'm flattered that you like it so much and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

**GRX3m0m: **Wow, a review for every single chapter! Thanks so much. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

**ARCtheElite: **A little excited there, eh? Im really sorry but I don't have a lot of free time to work on these stories so I need six weeks to flesh it out to a level I'm comfortable with.

**magical miracle: **Yup, Taichi's a troubled one!

**Moonlight Ace: **Worry not about them. I've changed my email so it doesn't bug me anymore.

**BlazingFireAngelXXX: **Yes, yes he did. In fact, you'll get to see it in action.

**Meihanafubuki: **Believe me, you will see a heck of a lot more TakatoxHikari as this story progresses.

Well, I think that's it for now, so on with the show:

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 8: Growlmon to the Rescue**

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

"Hikari! Slow Down!" Takato shouted after her again. Hikari didn't even look back, instead picking up her pace. Even from this distance, he could tell how frantic she was. He heard the words, "Taichi's in trouble...Taichi's in trouble..."

"Hikari!" Takato called to her. Again, there was no acknowledgement. She just kept running deeper into the forest, directly for the direction of the scream. Behind him, he heard hurried and heavy footsteps that were gaining ground on him quickly. He looked back at Guilmon gaining on him, "Takatomon!"

"Guilmon," Takato slowed down. Guilmon lowered himself just enough for Takato to climb onto his back before they took off at breakneck speed. To say they caught up with Hikari instantly was an understatement. Now that he was right beside her, Takato took that moment to ask, "Hikari!"

"Takato?" she looked as if she were broken out of a trance. Takato extended his hand out to her and said, "Climb on."

She hesitated for a moment before grabbing his hand and climbing onto Guilmon's back. Takato sensed Guilmon buckled under the added weight and asked, "Are you okay, buddy?"

"I'm fine," Guilmon panted, "Where are we going?"

"Just keep going straight," Takato instructed. Guilmon nodded and raced forward, flanked by Gatomon and Patamon. They dodged and weaved through the brush and foliage until finally they arrived in another clearing. Standing in the middle of the clearing were several Tyrranomon who were huddled around a large MasterTyrranomon. In his right hand, the MasterTyrranomon held up a wriggling Taichi for the group to see and proclaimed, "Didn't I tell you that the next time I saw you, I would eat you?"

"Go ahead and try, you big lug!" Taichi shouted angrily. MasterTyrranomon laughed with an amused grin, "Charming."

The digimon opened his gaping mouth and slowly lowered Taichi in. The other Tyrranomon began to cheer their leader on, chanting, "EAT! EAT! EAT!"

"Taichi!" Hikari screamed, jumping off Guilmon's back. Takato followed suit, reaching for the deck in his pocket and searching through the cards. When he found the card he was looking for, Takato gave his first order, "Okay buddy! Rush in and get Taichi!"

"Right!" Guilmon charged forward. Taking out his D-Arc Takato swiped the card through the scan slot, proclaiming, "Digimodify! Aero Wings Activate!"

And just like that, a pair of dragon wings grew out of Guilmon's back. With a simple leap, the red dinosaur took off into the air and rushing forward to Taichi. The Tyrranomon turned their heads in confusion, as Guilmon rushed by shooting his fireballs aimlessly to scatter them, "Pyrosphere!"

The attack effectively sent the Tyrranomon scurrying about, creating an opening for Guilmon to get Taichi out of MasterTyrannomon's grip. However, MasterTyrranomon had been hit in the hand by one of the stray fireballs and already let Taichi go. Guilmon tried to get at Taichi but the swaying claws of the Tyrranomon prevented him from getting near the the boy. Hikari must have realized this and let out a loud gasp. Panicked she cried, "Gatomon! Digi-Armor Energize!"

Gatomon! Armor Digivolve To! Nefertimon!

The winged feline known as Nefertimon took off into the air, trying to catch Taichi before he hit the ground. She was able to close the gap between them quickly but not in time to stop Taichi's from hitting a tree branch. The branch gave under the force of Taichi's fall and the boy continued to plummet into the ground below with a crunch.

"Taichi!" Hikari gasped, rushing into the fray to get to her brother's side without a second thought. Takato panicked, watching as Tyrranomon stepped back and forth in an attempt to knock down Guilmon. Fearing for her safety, Takato shouted his next command, "Guilmon! Lure them away from Hikari and Taichi."

"Right," Guilmon said, diving downwards into the heart of the Tyrranomon before pulling away inches off the ground. He raced away into the forest, trailed by most of the Tyrranomon. The remaining Tyrranomon took a formation around MasterTyrranomon and focused their attack on Takato, Nefertimon and Patamon.

On the other side of the clearing, a distraught Hikari was busy attending to her older brother. Takato realized that Hikari was too distracted to be of any help and decided he would have to take command. This was just like the Tamer days. Assessing the situation, he had one rookie and one ultimate in his command. There were about four champions and one ultimate on the opposing team. Those odds were hardly in his favor.

However, Patamon and Nefertimon had the advantage of flight. The Tyrranomon had a poor ranged attack. However, MasterTyrranomon had the ability to heal himself and allies. He would be the priority target. Nefertimon would be able to take him on as long as it was from a distance. Patamon wouldn't be too effective in combat, except for the occasional potshot.

"Okay," Takato thought, "Nefertimon, get as high in the air as you can and focus your attacks on MasterTyrranomon in the center! Patamon! Go find Guilmon and get him back here!"

"Right," Patamon said, taking off. The Tyrranomon heard Takato's order and began focusing their attacks on Patamon. The fireballs rained down on the poor rookie, until Nefertimon launched her attack on MasterTyrranomon in the center, "Rosetta Stone!"

A beam of light emerged from Nefertimon's back and several stone tablets shot out of it. They blanketed the Tyrranomon in bruises and injuries. They scowled angrily and tried to shoot down Nefertimon. While the airborne feline weaved through the attacks, MasterTyrranomon shouted "Spiritual Infuse!"

Each of the Tyrranomon was enveloped in a bright light, disappearing in seconds with all their wounds and injuries. Nefertimon continued to dodge through their attacks, doing everything in her power to avoid the rain of fire. All the while, Takato couldn't help but wonder where the others. Their help could really have been appreciated at this point. Nefertimon couldn't win this battle by herself even if she had a slight advantage.

"Fire Breath!" the center Tyrranomon growled, shooting a single fire ball that managed to strike Nefertimon square in the chest. By itself, this should have done little damage but the resulting splash was enough to slow her down for other fireballs to score a hit. She recoiled from the pain, blanketed in the fiery explosions of the attacks.

As she descended from the sky with the burnt remains of her armor, she dedigivolved into her Gatomon form. Glancing in Hikari's direction, he saw she was still trying to awaken her brother. With no one else to do it, Takato ran forward and stretched his arms outward to catch the cat like digimon. He moved back and forth trying to position himself so that she would fall in his arms.

She fell with a loud thump, sending Takato to the ground with her. If it was any consolation, he had cushioned the fall and made it easier for the poor thing. He hadn't really expected her to last long against superior numbers. Especially since his D-arc wouldn't have been able to lend her any support. He hated to have to do that, but it was the only option he had to buy time for the others to get here. Sadly, they hadn't arrived yet nor had Guilmon or Patamon.

With no one to distract them, half of the Tyrranomon turned on Takato and the injured Gatomon while the other half turned on Hikari and the still unconscious Taichi. Acting on pure impulse again, Takato rushed forward into the Tyrranomon's formation. Weaving through their legs, Takato rushed through to the other side to rejoin Hikari and Taichi. Hikari was busy trying to shake her brother awake desperately, "Taichi! Come on! Please!"

"Hikari!" Takato said, trying to grab her attention. Hikari looked up, a horrified expression on her face that was unable to read anything else around her. Takato could sympathize with her feelings, but now was not the time for grieving when their own lives were at stake. Trying to bring Hikari to her senses, Takato explained, "Hikari! We have to get out of here now!"

"But...Taichi..." Hikari murmured, "He...won't get up..."

"Hikari! Look at Gatomon!" Taichi barked. Hikari's eyes moved down to her wounded digimon partner and her jaw dropped. She grabbed Gatomon out of Takato's hands and said, "Oh no! Gatomon! What happened?"

"She got hit by the Tyrranomon," Takato explained, "I sent Patamon to bring Guilmon back but they're not here yet. Now come on, we need to get going!"

"What about Taichi?" Hikari asked.

"I'll get him," Takato said, taking Taichi's left arm and putting it over his shoulder. Takato stood up, supporting Taichi's limp body with his right arm, and the two took off again into the woods. Behind them, MasterTyrranomon roared, "FIND THEM AND BRING THEM HERE! I'M GOING TO EAT THEM ALL IF I HAVE TO!"

...............

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari kept pace behind Takato, who was having little trouble carrying Taichi while running at break neck speed. Maybe Takato was a lot stronger than he looked. Or maybe Taichi really had lost weight. She would have preferred one over the other for more than one obvious reason. For one, Taichi must be under a lot of stress or just not eating to have lost weight. On the other, this meant Takato was probably pretty leaner than he looked. Was she a pervert for always thinking along those lines?

That aside, Hikari found herself wondering what exactly would cause the Tyrannomon to behave this way. And what did MasterTyrranomon mean when he said, 'If I ever saw you again'?. Taichi couldn't get to the Digital World without the D3's so how would he have gotten between the two?

KRA-KOOM!

A fireball incinerated a tree beside them, reminding Hikari of their present predicament. Behind them, MasterTyrranomon growled, "NO! YOU IDIOT! I WANT THEM ALIVE!"

"Where are those guys?" Takato said aloud. Behind them, the sound of stomping feet grew louder until finally the Tyrranomon appeared towering over the trees. Fraught with panic, Hikari and Takato hastened their pace to get as much distance between themselves and the Tyrranomon. But the Tyrranomon were and took larger strides. In a matter of seconds, one of the Tyrranomon had caught up and called out, "They're over here!"

"Run faster!" Takato shouted at no one in particular. To Hikari's surprise, Takato was actually able to run pass her. Maybe he was a lot stronger than he looked. Or just more cowardly, but that couldn't have been the case. After all, he did drive off all the Divermon by himself.

"They're still not here!" Takato added again. Hikari felt so useless. If she hadn't spaced out, then Gatomon wouldn't have been in this condition. If she hadn't been so adamant about getting Taichi, he wouldn't have fallen from that great height. If she hadn't convinved everyone to come to this stupid reunion. This was all her fault. But she could handle blame later. Right now, the priority was staying alive.

They continued running through the forest, trying to get away only to end up against a steep, rock ascent. With no where left to run, Hikari and Takato turned on their attackers. MasterTyrranomon and four Tyrranomon closed in and back them against the wall. They had no where to run, this was it. They were going to die.

"We have them now Master, what should we do?" one of the Tyrranomon asked. A decisive smirk appeared on Master Tyrranimon's face, "I'm going to finish what I started, and eat that nosey human."

Nosey? Did he mean Taichi. No! She wasn't going to lose him after she had finally been able to see him again. She watched as MasterTyrranomon extended his arm in Takato's direction. Which was he going for: Takato or Taichi? She couldn't bear to lose either of them. Without another thought, Hikari jumped in the way with her back to the towering dinosaur.

She didn't know what was going on, but suddenly the towering digimon started to laugh with twisted amusement, "This is rich? Do you actually think you can protect them?"

"PYROSPHERE!" A fireball struck Master Tyrranomon square in the arm. The giant towering lizard recoiled his hand back and scowled, "WHY YOU!"

"Rock Breaker!" Guilmon appeared, ramming his head into one of the Tyrranomon. Despite the size difference, the Tyrranomon toppled over and crashed into the ground. There was something different about Takato's partner, but Hikari just couldn't place it. Hikari tracked the red dinosaur with her eyes and finally placed it, he had wings and was flying. But she never saw those wings before so where did they come from.

"Yeah! Alright Guilmon!" Takato cheered. As Guilmon spun around to take another pass at the Tyrranomon, he said, "Patamon went to get the others!"

"Okay," Takato said, lowering Taichi to the ground gently, "Hikari, keep an eye on your brother."

"What are you going to do?" Hikari asked.

"I'm going to go help Guilmon," Takato answered with a thumbs up. He rushed forward and pulled out his strange Digivice and a deck of cards. Takato sifted through the cards quickly before grinning mischievously, "Okay Buddy! Digimodify! Speed Boost Activate!"

Takato swiped the card through his digivice and a Guilmon grew a bright light before taking off at blinding speed. Unable to keep track of their speedy target, the Tyrrano circled up and fired aimlessly around them, hoping to hit their target. What exactly did Takato do to Guilmon? Was this some kind of data manipulation like what Ken used as the Digimon Emperor? Did this make Takato a bad guy? It couldn't have been. Takato was too much of a nice guy.

"Okay Guilmon! Pick them off one at a time!" Takato ordered loudly. Guilmon growled in comprehension and began to circle the Tyrranomon fervidly. As he whirled about in a dizzying spin, Guilmon took pot shots at the attacking Tyrranomon and covered in burn wounds and other injuries.

"Spiritual Infuse!" MasterTyrranomon roared triumphantly. A bright light enveloped the Tyrranomon and their wounds disappeared, "Attack as much as you want! I'll heal the wounds again and again."

"That's right," Takato spat out, "Okay then, are you ready Guilmon?"

"Ready!" Guilmon shouted back. Takato pulled a blue card with a yellow dinosaur out of the deck. Swiping through his digivice like before, Takato cried, "Digimodify! Digivolution Activate!"

Guilmon! Digivolve To! Growlmon!

Guilmon's digivolution was different from the other digimon. While their digimon would be consumed in a beautiful display of light during their digivolution. However, Guilmon's skin just ripped itself to reveal a green wire mesh underneath. The mesh grew in size and change shape before Guilmon's skin reattached itself to reveal his new form: a larger version of himself with white hair, horns where his ears were, and sharp blades extending out of his elbows.

Growlmon was easily the same size as the Tyrranomon, but was still dwarfed by MasterTyrranomon. However, Growlmon's next attack proved that he was more than capable of compensating for this. Growlmon fired a beam of red hot energy out of his mouth at MasterTyrranomon, "Pyro Blaster!"

Although it was only one shot, MasterTyrranomon was thrown backwards by the sheer force of the attack. The digimon struggled back to his feet and cried, "SPIRITUAL INFUSE!"

"Dragon Slash!"

MasterTyrranomon tried to heal himself with his special ability but Growlmon struck him with one of the blades growing out of his elbows. MasterTyrranomon's eyes widened in surprise at the daring attack before he collapsed onto the trees. The other Tyrranomon exchanged uncertain looks before running between Growlmon and their defeated leader.

"How dare you do that to MasterTyrranomon!" one of the Tyrranomon barked out angrily at Growlmon, "There's no way we'll let you touch him!"

There was a moment of tense silence. The Tyrranomon shakily stood their ground, their eyes betraying their courage. Growlmon scanned down the line anxiously, awaiting silently for one of them to make the first move. Hikari looked at Takato, who wore a victorious smile on his face despite the tension. Suddenly, Two of the Tyrranomon ran to pick up their leader before screaming, "Run away!"

And just like that, the Tyrranomon disappeared into the forest. Takato and Growlmon burst into a fit of warm laughter, interrupted only by the sudden arrival of Patamon, "Hey! I just saw the Tyrranomon runn-Gatomon!"

Patamon zipped straight for Hikari and asked, "What happened?"

"It's my fault," she said apologetically, "I got distracted."

And she was right. Gatomon hadn't moved once since she had come into Hikari's arms. She wasn't dead, and Hikari was glad for that but if she hadn't spaced out then Gatomon wouldn't be unconscious. She felt a hand pat her on the shoulder, "It's alright Hikari. You were worried about Taichi."

"Taichi!" They said aloud in unison. They were both so caught up in the action that they had forgotten all about their little brother. They looked in his direction to see the still unconscious teen slumping against the rock face. Before she knew it, she was at his side again. Takato shook his body, saying, "Hey Taichi! Taichi!"

"HEY! GUYS!" Yamato's voice boomed. He and Sora appeared atop a wolf with a tiger stripe design. The wolf came to a stop just short of Takato and Hikari, allowing Yamato and Sora to dismount quickly. When they laid eyes on the unconscious Taichi, they rushed to him and said, "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Takato said first, "We need to get Taichi to a doctor, fast!"

"Okay, let's get him onto Garurumon's back," Yamato instructed, taking Taichi by one arm while Takato took him by another. Together, they lifted Taichi's limp being onto the back of the giant wolf. Yamato patted the digimon and said, "Do you think you can carry all of us back Garurumon?"

Garurumon examined them all closely before adding, "I can only take two more of you back."

"Well then take Gatomon too!" Hikari pleaded. Yamato nodded and took the feline into his arms. He turned to Sora and said, "Will you be alright, walking them?"

"I'll be fine, just get Taichi and Gatomon to Jo," Sora replied. The couple exchanged a quick kiss before Yamato mounted his wolf digimon and took off with Patamon behind him. Once they had disappeared into the forest, Sora looked to Takato and Hikari and asked, "Shall we?"

............

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Takato looked back at Hikari nervously. She had been awfully quiet, since Yamato left with Taichi and Gatomon, which made him uneasy. She was staring at the ground in defeat, walking a distance behind Takato, Guilmon and Sora. It was heart wrenching. Then again, he supposed he would be dead quiet if something happened to Guilmon or Hikari. Wait, he meant Jeri not Hikari! He told himself that he only confused them because they looked alike and nothing more. Jeri was the one he loved the most and Hikari happened to look like her. That was it!

Even if that was true, it crushed him to see her so sad. He slowed down so that she could catch up to him and Sora before asking, "Hey...what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Hikari looked up in surprise, as if she had awoken from a dream. When she realized it was Takato, she quickly said, "Oh...nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing," Takato replied, "What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried," Hikari answered quietly, "About Taichi and Gatomon."

"It's alright if you're worried," Takato said in an attempt to comfort her. She shook her head, stamped her foot and stopped in her tracks, "No, it's not alright."

"What are you talking about?" Takato asked, unsure of what she was getting at. He saw Hikari's hands shook with anxiety, as she whimpered, "This is all my fault. If I hadn't been distracted, Gatomon wouldn't be in that shape. If I hadn't brought Taichi back, he wouldn't have been attacked by the Tyrranomon. Don't you see? This is all my fault!"

Hikari broke into silent sobs, as tears finally broke through her eyes. Takato must have been really thick headed if he wasn't able to figure out how guilty she felt. Shaking his head stupidly, he said, "It's not your fault Hikari."

"Yes it is!" Hikari protested, throwing her arms in the air.

"No it isn't," Takato shot back, trying to keep calm despite Hikari's growing hostility, "Of course you forgot about Gatomon. After all, Taichi fell about 30 feet. Getting distracted by worry doesn't mean you're a bad person. It means you love your brother. And yeah, Gatomon was beaten pretty badly, but she was fighting an ultimate and four champions by herself. And yes, she fought alone by herself, but she did it to protect you."

"Shut up!" Hikari snapped, "This is my fault! Don't you get it?"

"Hikari, you need to get a grip," Takato said, grabbing her by the arms and forcing her to look him in the eyes. When their eyes finally met, it was with tension. But it slowly passed and Hikari's sobs began to die down. Staring at her feet again, she whimpered, "I'm...sorry..."

"Don't worry about it," Takato said warmly. He took her by the hand and led her forward, adding, "Now come on. I'm sure the others are waiting for us."

Sora and Guilmon had stopped to wait for them, both wearing an amused smile on her face. The rest of the walk back silent, but not the uneasy silence from before. It was a calm, warm silence.

............

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

When they finally got back to the reunion party, it was only to find Jo, Yamato, Mimi, Koushiro, Palmon, Gabumon, Patamon, Tentomon, Piyomon and Gomamon attending to the still unconscious Taichi and Gatomon. The sleeves of Jo's dress shirt were torn off, one wrapped around Gatomon's waist and the other around Taichi's head. Around his left arm were two serving spoons fashioned together by a tightly knit handkerchief. When Hikari saw the sight, she whimpered and bee lined straight for her brother.

"How is he?" she asked Jo, who was holding Taichi's wrist between his palms. Jo was muttering to himself quietly before explaining, "Not good. It looks like he hit the right side of his head pretty bad. It'll bad news if there's any damage to his right hemisphere. There's a good chance that the entire left side of his body will be paralyzed and he might have vision problems. Also, his left arm has been broken in two places. I gave him a splint to hold it together for now, but he needs some serious medical attention if he's going to get out of this one."

"And Gatomon?" Patamon asked.

"She's fine," Jo answered, "She just needs some rest to get her strength back."

She was relieved to hear that Gatomon would be alright, but she didn't appreciate the news on Taichi as much. How could he be paralyzed? That wasn't supposed to happen. She just wanted a happy reunion for all of the digidestined and instead her brother was almost killed. Why did these things happen?

"Where are the others?" Takato asked, appearing beside her.

"They went off to find you guys," Koushiro answered, "Miyako, Wormmon, Hawk, and Ken went one way; TK, Armadillomon, and Iori went another; and Daisuke went another way with Veemon. We sent them a message on the D-Terminal to come back. We're just waiting for them."

"No can do," Jo threw in, "If Taichi doesn't get serious help soon, any damage could be permanent. Hikari, you need to open a gate back to the Real World."

"Okay," Hikari said, retrieving her D3 from her pocket. Koushiro and Jo both lifted the unconscious Taichi. Together with Hikari, they went to the nearest TV-box/gate. She never understood why they were TV's but she wasn't going to complain now. Holding up her D3, she declared, "Digiport Open!"

The four of them returned to the Real World, hoping to get Taichi to the closest hospital before it was too late.

**Author's Notes: **Well, another chapter over and done with! The next update will come in eight weeks on Friday, April 10th! For those of you wondering why: I am now working with a "Duke" from a little comic called "Ansem Retort" on his new project "Happy Campers". So, I need to make room in my schedule to commit to that. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism because I have never written a romance before. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	9. Koushiro’s Confession

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **What a world ain't it? Anyway, I've gotten some groundwork done for "Happy Campers" so the fics will now continue on their regularly updated schedule. Aside from that, I don't have much else to add. Now, on to responses!

**Firehedgehog: **I'll be honest with you, I didn't even want to write that part.

**Tri-Emperor of The Twilight: **Heh heh, nope. But you're on the right tracl. He isn't trying to be like the Digimon Kaiser, but some of the digimon seem to think that. Wink wink nudge nudge

**GRX3m0m: **Wait no more for here it is!

**Lord Pata: **That part was written just for you (and a little bit for me).

**Cartoon-watcher-4-eva: **Whoa. Missing two of your favorite programs? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. All of your questions will be answered, except for the one concerning Taichi. That will come in the next chaptes.

**ARCtheElite: **But I don't want to die. But no, not exams. Like I've said, I'm helping on a comic titled "Happy Campers"

**Zaku-118: **I did? Oops. Thanks for catching that.

**Light-Sakura: **To be nice, I've decided not to end this chapter in a cliffhanger. However, not everything has been revealed.

**Anime-gril98: **Well thank you. To answer your question, it's because I couldn't get a definite answer on the Tamer's Japanese names. Henry was Jiang Liang in one case, then Jenria in another. Jeri ended up as Juri, Jire and Reji, although I don't know how they got Reji. And Rika kept coming as either Ruki or Raku. I decided I didn't want to deal with that and went with the English names.

**ShineX: **Like I said, I briefly skimmed Tamers so I'm going off where I know.

And now for the next chapter of Takato's Light.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 9: Koushiro's Confession**

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Takato walked down the empty street with his hands resting behind his head. Guilmon walked casually beside him underneath his cardboard box. There was no one around no so Takato didn't have to pretend to be carrying a heavy box. Everyone else said they were going to the hospital. Truth be told, he wasn't sure if he wanted to go. He liked Hikari, but he didn't want to complicate things. He was planning on stopping by tomorrow when his father was feeling better, but he wasn't sure if he actually would.

"Oh man, what a day," Takato said to his digimon partner. Guilmon cocked his head to the side childishly, "Do you think her brother will be alright?"

"I hope so," Takato thought, "Hikari looked pretty broken up about the whole thing."

"Hey Takatomon," Guilmon began, "Why didn't you go with them?"

Takato found himself asking the same question. Why hadn't he chosen to go with them, instead of opting out to go home. He didn't dislike any of them. On the contrary, spending time with them was the most fun he'd had since he heard news of the move to Odaiba. He wanted to see if Hikari was feeling better as well. He hated it when she seemed upset, although he reminded himself it was because of her resemblance to Jeri.

"Takatomon?" Guilmon said. Takato realized he had failed to answer Guilmon's question and quickly said, "Because I have to help at the bakery, Guilmon."

"I thought they were your friends though," Guilmon noted, "Aren't your friends more important than the bakery?"

"It's more complicated than that buddy," Takato answered sheepishly. Guilmon rushed ahead of Takato and stopped him in his tracks. With a childishly cheery tone, Guilmon said, "It's okay Takato. We're partners! You can tell me anything."

"What are you talking about?" Takato answered defensively. Guilmon pressed close to Takato, "You know what I'm talking about."

Takato felt a smile grow on his face. He loved Guilmon's childish demeanor, which let him talk from the bottom of his heart freely. Coupled with his stubbornness, and Guilmon was able to lighten any mood no matter how depressing. Plus, he had a point. Takato should have been able to trust Guilmon no matter what.

"It's because I don't want things to get complicated," Takato said to his partner. Guilmon replied with a simple groan of enthusiastic confusion. If it was any consolation, at least he was interested even if he didn't understand what Takato meant. Takato considered telling Guilmon the whole story, but he wasn't sure if there was much of a story to tell. Takato shook his head and decided to continue, "Well, I love Jeri. Even though we're apart and we decided to call our relationship off, I can't just forget about all our time together. I miss her so much Guilmon. But Hikari. I like her, but every time I see her I think of Jeri. She reminds me of Jeri so much it hurts. And…I'm scared I might start to love her Guilmon. Because if I do, I would be betraying Jeri."

"I think I understand Takatomon," Guilmon said, "I think you need to talk to Jeri and sort your feelings out."

"We already did buddy," Takato said. Guilmon shook his head, "I mean really sort your feelings out."

"Another day, buddy," Takato said. Guilmon nudged Takato in the chest, "You have to do this now, Takato. You have a chance at a good thing and you're letting the past hold you back. Call her as soon as we get home."

Takato paused for a few seconds before nodding, "Okay buddy."

Satisfied, Guilmon stepped out of Takato's way and they continued on their way home.

……………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

The former digidestined all sat in the lounge of Odaiba General quietly awaiting any information on their friend. The doctor's left to take a look at Taichi as soon as Hikari, Koushiro and Jo brought him in. Since then, they had seen no word of the doctors or Taichi. By now, the others had all arrived, except the digimon and Takato. Hikari was distraught to see him absent because she hoped to talk to him some more.

She couldn't really explain it, but he made her feel very comfortable despite the seriousness of the situation. And right now, she wanted Takato to be here with her. Nevertheless, her desire for Takato did no detract her attention from Taichi's immediate condition.

There was a lot of fuss over paper work and medical records. And, of course, her parents were already called since they were the ones filed as emergency contacts. Thankfully, they were able to fool the doctor's into thinking the cause of Taichi's wounds was a vehicular hit-and-run. Sure, their parents would find out but at least the Yagami parents wouldn't know of their recent trip to the Digital World.

"Excuse me," a doctor asked, "I need to speak with an…Izumi Koushiro?"

"That would be me," Koushiro said, waving his hand at the doctor. The doctor approached Koushiro and they began talking in a hushed whisper. Hikari felt a tinge of anger. She was closer to Taichi than Koushiro, so why was this doctor telling Koushiro the information. She stood up from her chair and stormed straight towards Koushiro and the doctor.

"Excuse me miss," the doctor said with a false apologetic tone, "Can you give us a minute? This conversation is patient confidential."

"No," Hikari said, "I want to know what's going on with my brother right now."

The doctor shot her a confused look and turned to Koushiro expectantly. Koushiro frowned, "She's his sister, I'm just the friend who signed him in."

The doctor nodded, "Okay. Taichi suffered a slight concussion and his left arm was broken just above the elbow and below the shoulder. Normally, we would put these in a cast and prescribe a few days of rest to let his body heal but a problem arose during initial testing. His blood sugar, blood pressure and white blood count are dangerously low. His body is horribly malnourished and he is grossly underweight for his age. But-"

"But?" Hikari asked.

"I'm more concerned with his mental health," the doctor said, "We had to sedate him twice because he was able to force himself awake during the operation. Both times, he started muttering the same thing, 'Don't save me. Let me die'. For now, we're going to dismiss this as acute post-traumatic stress but we will do some testing after he recovers to see if he suffers depression."

"Doctor, can I speak to you a moment in private," Koushiro asked, before leading the doctor away from Hikari. Not that it mattered since Hikari was too dumbfounded to have noticed their sudden absence. Why would Taichi suddenly be suicidal? He never let anything faze him, even when the weight of the world was on his shoulders as a digidestined.

What exactly would make him want to die? She suspected Koushiro knew something and waited patiently while he spoke to the doctor at the other end of the lobby. When the doctor departed, Koushiro came back towards her. Seizing her chance, she asked, "What did you tell him?"

"It's not important," Koushiro answered. He tried to walk away but Hikari grabbed him by the arm and turned him to face her, "Tell me."

"Don't worry about it Hikari," Koushiro said, "You have enough on your mind as is."

"Koushiro," Hikari said, pulling him back towards her when he tried to walk away, "Stop treating me like a little kid. He's my brother and I have a right to know. What is going on with him?"

Koushiro looked at her despairingly. He glanced at the other digidestined quietly. A look of deep thought crossed his face, as if he were contemplating a rigged gambit. After a few moments, he muttered, "Okay, but I want the others to hear this too."

"Alright," Hikari said. Together, they returned to the other digidestined where Koushiro began his explanation.

……………

(As Seen from Takato's Perspective)

Takato held the bakery door open so Guilmon could walk in. Once Guilmon was safely inside, he closed the door and pulled the box off his partner. Guilmon took a whiff of the air and squealed, "BREAD!"

He dove for the nearest stack of bread and started helping himself to the stock. Or rather, he began consuming the stock in large proportions. So large, Takato had to pull him off the shelf so that there would be something left for tomorrow, "Hey! Don't eat it all buddy! We need to save some of these for tomorrow."

"But Guilmon's hungry!" Guilmon whined.

"But you already ate at the party!" Takato replied, to which Guilmon answered, "I'm hungry again!"

Takato was awe struck by his digimon's nonchalant demeanor. One second, he's talking seriously to Takato about sorting his feelings out and the next he's burying himself under a mountain of food. Takato forced down a laugh and wrestled Guilmon to the ground to keep him from consuming more of the inventory.

"Hey goggle head," a familiar voice said from the back of the store. Takato glanced up to see Rika emerge from the kitchen wearing an apron. She was holding a freshly frosted strawberry cake, which she lightly set in the display case behind the counter, "Long time no see."

"Rika," Takato said quietly before jumping off his digimon and rushing up to hug her. At least before she batted him down to the ground, "I see you haven't changed a bit, goggle head."

"Neither have you, Rika," Takato perked up with a grin. He noticed her face had flushed, probably because she was embarrassed for hitting on their first meeting. Takato didn't really care though, because he was just happy to see her again. Picking himself up off the ground, he asked, "So what are you doing here Rika?"

"I was coming by to visit for the day but you were out so I decided to stay and help your mom with the bakery," she explained, "Y'know, you should really have put your mom first before hanging out with friends."

"Hmm, Takato is that you?" his mom asked from the kitchen. She stepped out and smiled, "Oh hey! How was the party?"

"It was…different," Takato said awkwardly. An amused smile appeared on his mother's face and she returned to the kitchen, "Well it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"What?" Takato answered, unsure what his mother meant. Rika ran a hand through her hair, "Still clueless as ever Takato. Anyway, how have you been since the move?"

"Okay, I guess," Takato answered, deciding not to tell her about the digidestined he had met earlier, "How are you and the others?"

"Kazu and Kenta are still dorks, like you," she replied with a snicker, "Henry, Ryou and I are looking at colleges now. Believe it or not, Suzie actually babysits the twins now. They're not big on being babysat by someone just a few years older than them, though."

"And Jeri?" Takato asked enthusiastically. He wanted to know. No, he needed to know.

"She misses you," Rika said plainly, "A lot. It's kind of surprising actually. Even though you two sort of called it off, she's turned down three guys. Each time, when the guys asked why, she said because you're still her boyfriend."

"She does?" Takato asked. Rika nodded. She took off her apron and folded it on the counter, "You're very luck Takato. Girls like Jeri don't come around very often. You should call her, or at least come by and visit her."

"But what would I say to her?" Takato asked, "I mean, we've sort of called it off."

"Not officially," Rika answered, "It's not like you two were forbidden from seeing each other again. Besides which, you two still like each other."

There was moment's silence, broken only by the noise of Guilmon stuffing his mouth full of bread. Rika was right, there wasn't really much of anything to stop him from seeing Jeri again. Yet they mutually decided to call off their relationship. Why?

"Wait," Rika said conclusively, "Why are you hesitating? You never hesitated when it came to Jeri…That can only mean there's another girl, isn't there?"

"Where did this come from?" Takato asked evasively. Rika moved on Takato and said, "Ah hah! I was right! Takato, you little creep, how could you do that to Jeri after all you've been through? Who is this girl and what's her name?"

"Her name is Hikari," Guilmon explained, "She's a class mate of Takatomon's. He likes her but he says he doesn't want things to get complicated, so he avoids her."

"Thank you Guilmon," Rika smiled politely, only for it to twist into shock, "Guilmon! What are you doing here?"

"Guilmon rescued Takatomon from his friends because I thought they were Takatomon's enemies. But they were really there to rescue him. So now we're friends."

Rika, unsure of what Guilmon just said, grabbed Takato by the collar and threateningly said, "Okay, goggle head, start talking. You've got a lot of explaining to do."

Takato felt a lump form in his throat as he began to wonder how he managed to get himself in this situation. Their meeting went well up until just a few seconds ago and now Rika was going to kill him. What was he supposed to say to her? He couldn't stretch the truth on this with Guilmon right there, which he would have a lot of fun explaining to her. He took a deep breath and began an otherwise lengthy explanation.

……………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

"I should have seen this coming a long time ago," Koushiro said to himself. He was seated on one the chairs, with other digidestined around him. Everyone either moved a chair, bench, or couch towards Koushiro so they could listen to him. Ironically, it looked like they were forming a campfire circle in the waiting room of the hospital.

"What are you talking about Izzy?" Yamato asked, referring to Koushiro by his seldom-used nickname. Koushiro reclined back on the chair and gazed distantly at the ceiling. He didn't utter a single word, which annoyed Hikari greatly. She had to know, what Koushiro knew. Hikari jumped off her chair and snapped, "Are you going to tell us Koushiro, or not!?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry," he apologized, returning his attention to the digidestined, "I can't tell you guys everything-"

"Why not!?" Hikari demanded, shooting up off her chair when she just reseated herself. She was Taichi's little sister and Koushiro had no right to keep these kinds of secrets from her. Koushiro threw up his arms in defense, "Because I'm not Taichi. I can't really tell you what's going on inside his head, can I?"

"I'm sorry, Koushiro, I didn't mean to snap," Hikari apologized, returning to her chair. Maybe she was just over reacting. But all things considered, that was her brother they were talking about. Koushiro waved it off, "Forget it. Anyway, how should I put this? Well, do you remember when Oikawa infected the children with the dark spores and we all met at the bridge in Highton View Terrace to stop them?"

"Who could forget?" Daisuke pointed out, to which Koushiro added, "And Yamato, do you recall when I asked you if you were alright with Taichi and Sora going off alone?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah," Yamato answered. Koushiro diverted his gaze to the floor and explained, "They reason I asked wasn't because I was worried you would get jealous. The reason I asked was because I was worried Taichi would do something."

"What do you mean?" Sora leaned in curiously, her voice shaking lightly with fear. Koushiro looked as if he had to face his greatest fears in the flesh. After a moment's silence, he said, "You and Taichi were childhood friends, long before most of us met each other. I'm sure you already figured this out, but he fell in love you but was never able to come forward despite having the Crest of Courage."

"But I thought he was okay with Yamato and I being together," Sora said plainly. Koushiro shrugged, "I thought so too. He seemed okay at first. But once college started he began to distance himself. First he spent hours at the library, then he stopped going to the clubs or the recreation center, and eventually he just stopped going out all together."

"Wait, so you knew this was going on?" TK pointed out. Koushiro shook his head, "No more than you did. I mean, I had my suspicions but I decided to keep them to myself since everything always had a rational explanation. When he moved out of the dorms to that apartment of his, I thought it was just another student trying to get out of those smelly dorms. And when he stopped going out, I thought it was because he was studying hard to get good grades for scholarships. Everything had a reasonable explanation."

"Didn't you try talking to him?" Jo asked.

"Of course I did," Koushiro explained sheepishly, "But he always brushed me off and told me another time. Most days, I'd be lucky to get more than a few words out of him. I was worried, but he wouldn't talk to me."

"Koushiro," Hikari asked for his attention, "What exactly did you suspect?"

"I suspected that Taichi was more hurt by Sora and Yamato's relationship than he let on, and that it was eating away at him," Koushiro said, "And the only reason he pretended to be okay with it was because he didn't want to get in the way. My conclusion is Taichi was trying to bury himself under as much stress as possible so he could forget the whole thing. Literally, he tried to work himself to death."

Everyone present gave him a skeptical grimace, to which Koushiro responded, "I told you there were more rational explanations to everything he did. But I never would have thought he became suicidal."

He heaved a heavy sigh and added, "I suppose this is my fault though. I should have forced him to talk to me about everything he did instead of rationalizing it."

"It's not your fault, Izzy," Mimi said, resting a hand on his shoulder, "If anything, we're the one's to blame. After all, none of us would have figured out what you did."

"But-"

"She's right," TK added, "You didn't do anything wrong Koushiro."

"Hikari?" Koushiro asked, looking up at her. Hikari could only frown, unsure of how to look at him. She wanted to apologize for being so aggressive earlier, especially for putting Koushiro on the spot. She would have never guessed he felt guilty for Taichi's present state. But she was grateful. Now she had some idea about what was going on with her brother, and the least she could do was thank him. Weakly, she said, "Thank you, Koushiro."

He nodded and somberly said, "You're welcome."

"Hikari!" Mrs. Yagami's voice echoed from the entrance into the lobby. All heads turned in their direction, to see the Yagami parents walk in. Mrs. Yagami came and hugged Hikari, "We came as soon as we heard the call. What happened?"

"It was a hit and run," Hikari explained the lie their group decided on, "A car hit Taichi and took off before we knew what happened. The doctor's said he has a concussion and a broken arm."

"Did the doctors say when he'll be discharged?" Mrs. Yagami asked. Hikari frowned, "They didn't say, Mom. They said they want to keep him for observation."

"Why?" Mr. Yagami asked.

"They… think he's depressed," Hikari said. The room fell into silence.

……………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

"Okay, let me see if I understand this," Rika told Takato, "On your first day to school you happen to meet some kids who are these... digidestined? That night, you got into a fight with your mom and ran off. Suddenly, you wound up in this dark world and ended up back in your parent's new bakery. The next day, you wind up in that same world when a car hits you. You almost drowned but woke up to find Guilmon, and then went to save these digidestined who got into trouble trying to rescue you. Then they invited you to some party which is why you were gone almost the whole day. Is this right?"

"More or less," Takato answered, realizing how crazy the whole story sounded now that he heard it. However, Rika was always one to be skeptical so maybe she was intentionally making it sound bad.

"And this girl you like is named Hikari," Rika added, "who also happens to be a digidestined. And these digigestined, who are supposedly charged with protecting the Real World and Digital World, think you're one of them because of your digivice and Guilmon?"

"That's about it, yeah," Takato answered. He noticed that Guilmon was now helping himself to the rye bread and cried, "Guilmon! Stop eating the bread, we need some of that for tomorrow!"

"Okay, goggle head," Rika sighed, "First things first, your whole story sounds like a load of bullshit."

Takato was taken aback by her choice in words, but he had to admit she was right. The whole story sounded like something out of a fairy tale. Although that didn't stop it from being true.

"Second," Rika went on, "If any of this were true, how come you didn't call us to let us know? Heck, an email would have been nice."

"Takatomon said he didn't want things to get complicated," Guilmon said defensively, in a poor attempt to help Takato. However, all he did was earn Rika's ire for Takato. Without a moment's hesitation, she slapped him across the face and said, "Alright, what does he mean by get complicated?!"

"Well-"

"Are you double-timing on us Takato!?" Rika declared accusingly before going off on a rant, "Are these digidestined some other group of friends you have that we don't know about?! Are you cheating on Jeri of all things?!"

"Wait, I told you, it's not like that," Takato argued in his defense, "I told you already, I didn't tell you guys because I thought you wouldn't believe me. Heck, you don't believe me now. And I'm not cheating on Jeri! I would never cheat on her! I love her!"

"Well you have a funny of showing it," Rika said, "It's only been two weeks and you already have fallen for another girl!'

"I haven't fallen for her!"

"Stop kidding yourself!" Rika said, silencing Takato, "I hear it in your voice. You like this Hikari and the only one who doesn't want to admit that yet is you!"

Takato paused to himself and began to consider his feelings. He did like Hikari, but not in the way Rika was implying. He only liked her because of her resemblance to Jeri and nothing more. How could it be anything more than that? It was true he felt natural around her, but that didn't necessarily mean he loved her. She was really more like a friend than anything else. But why were so much of his thoughts focused on her recently? That didn't mean anything, he assured him. Rika was wrong.

"I don't like her," Takato said weakly. Rika scoffed, "Then you won't mind if I tell the others about this when I get back."

"Wait, Rika," Takato grabbed her by the shoulders without thinking. When he realized the awkwardness of his actions, all he could manage to say was, "Don't."

"Excuse me?" Rika asked.

"I'll do it," Takato said quickly, letting her go. Rika's eyes widened, "What?"

"I'll do it," Takato said again, wishing he said anything other than those words. He went to the bakery's phone and began dialing in Jeri's cell phone number. Rika walked up from behind him and said, "Put on speaker. I want to hear this myself."

Takato did as he was told and set the phone to speaker. The room fell quiet as it started ringing. Even Guilmon stopped devouring bread to hear what was about to happen. Takato prayed silently that everything would play out all right but he knew it wouldn't. How was he supposed to tell Jeri when he knew the consequence would be dire?

BREEP!

BREEP!

BREEP!

BREEP!

CLICK

"Hello?" Jeri's voice rang happily from the other end. Takato felt a lump form in his throat. This was the moment of truth. It was now or never. Swallowing the lump, Takato managed to say, "Hey Jeri."

"Takato!? Is it you?" Her voice became excited. He suddenly felt a wave of calm overtake him. Feeling relaxed, he answered, "Yeah Jeri, it's me."

"Oh Takato! It's nice to hear from you! I missed you so much!" she said excitedly.

"It's nice to hear you too Jeri," Takato replied, "How are you?"

"It's been really lonely here without you," she said, "There were some boys who tried to ask me out as soon as you left but I told them we were still dating. I hope that's alright."

"N-no," Takato stammered, "It's…It's okay."

"Takato," Jeri said, "Do you think we did the right thing? Calling off our relationship, I mean."

"I…" Takato paused. What was he supposed to say? Talking to Jeri was never this difficult in the past, so why was it suddenly so difficult? He took a deep breath and forced out, "I miss you Jeri. I wish none of this ever happened. I…"

"I understand Takato," Jeri said from her end, her voice growing sad, "I do too."

"Jeri," Takato's voice grew faint. He had to tell her, but how could he? She still loved him, and he loved her. Rika put her hand on his shoulder and said, "That's enough goggle head. You don't have to."

"What do you mean Rika?" Takato asked.

"Rika? Takato, is Rika there?" Jeri's voice said. Rika pushed Takato aside and said, "Yeah, I'm here Jeri. I figured I should come over and get goggle head to give everybody a call. You know how he gets."

"I know," Jeri laughed. Annoyed, Takato asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Calm down Takato," Rika waved him off, "Anyway, we'll let you go okay Jeri? Goggle head still has to call all the others."

"Okay," Jeri's voice weakened, "Takato, it was nice talking to you again."

"It was nice talking to you too, Jeri," Takato answered. Jeri giggled from her end, "Okay, good bye."

"Bye," was all Takato could say. Jeri hung up and Takato pressed the speaker button on the phone. What exactly caused Rika to change her mind. He turned to her expectantly only to see her staring at the ground meakly, "I can't do it."

"Rika?" Takato asked again. Remorsefully, Rika said, "I can't hurt her feelings. What you did was disgusting, but Jeri's too good of a person... When I heard how happy she was to hear you, I realized she can never know. It would break her!"

Rika fell silent, and Takato had to agree with her. If Jeri ever found out it would destroy her. He thought the issue was permanently resolved and could be put behind them, but Rika didn't seem to think so. Instead, she glared at him and said, "Takato, I don't want you near this girl, do you understand? You are forbidden to go anywhere near Hikari ever again! Do you get me?"

"Er…right," Takato said.

"Swear it!" Rika growled, grabbing him by the collar threateningly.

"I swear," Takato said. Satisfied, Rika went to the front door and partingly said, "Good. I'll see you around. Okay Takato?"

"Okay, bye," Takato answered. Rika went outside, presumably to return. This was some day, wasn't it? So much happened over the course of a few hours and trying to comprehend it all was making his head hurt. He massaged his temples to ease the pain but Guilmon restless eating only made his head hurt more. Annoyed, Takato began to wrestle Guilmon to the ground in the hopes that he would stop.

"Guilmon! Stop eating all of the bread!" Takato yelled.

"But Guilmon's stomach is hungry!" Guilmon whined.

"You ate at the party!"

"And then I fought the Tyrranomon! Now I'm hungry again!"

Takato's partner had his flaws, but he certainly was a lovable fellow.

…………

**Author's Notes: **Well, another chapter over and done with. My next update will be on Friday, May 22nd. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	10. Developments

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Hey-oh! Well, schools over and summer has started. Unfortunately, so has work. 40 hour work weeks are not as fun as I thought the would be, but moving on! I am loaded with work and didn't get as much time I would have liked to work on this chapter. None the less, I hope you enjoy. Now on to review responses:

**Lord Pata: **Maybe you can't, but hoo boy can I. Try this: imagine Jeri dressed like Hikari instead of Hikari dressed like Jeri. Believe me, it works.

**Firehedgehog: **No…he doesn't.

**Tri-Emperor of the Twilight: **Believe me, that happened a long time ago.

**Growlmon1: **A better question is, what won't Rika do if she sees Takato and Hikari together?

**Cartoon-Watcher-4-Eva:** Thanks, I'm happy to see you enjoyed the fic.

**GRX3m0m: **So True! Let's hope he can.

**ARCtheElite: **I don't. I set up an update schedule with six week intervals. Every six weeks, I post another chapter. That way, I don't drop writing the stories and there's always a fresh update.

**Roxas24: **Who says it's a triangle?

**Light-Sakura: **I'm confused. You hate when I leave cliff hangers, but don't like it when I don't? My brain hurts.

**Chm01: **Don't worry, things work out. They always do.

**Jon Peterson: **Hello Jon. Like I said, I skimmed Tamers so I don't have a full grasp of the story. I'm also afraid your email didn't post. You have to write it in this format: myemail at website dot com

**Shikamaru123456789: **I would never dream of skipping my deadline. Outside my time zone anyway.

**ShineX: **To be honest, I was trying to portray Rika as protective of Jeri's feelings instead of bat shit insane. My apologies.

**Coppa-cola: **No…he won't.

**Pokemon-35055: **I update every six weeks so no worries.

**Zandermon: **What do you mean? Rika's in there.

**Calleach Tiger Eye: **In response to your note: I can't really change what I've already written. I'll try to be more sensitive when writing material for Rika's character from now on.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 10: Developments**

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Takato lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling above him. He had to make a choice, then and there. Ignore his feelings for Hikari and remain loyal to Jeri, or move past Jeri and give Hikari a chance. Both had their pros and cons, the biggest con being his fear of earning Rika's ire. He wasn't scare of Rika, but he didn't like the idea of being beaten or Jeri learning the truth. The decision was literally between two rocks. The idiom went: 'between a rock and a hard place', but neither was a lesser evil.

It was almost an impossible choice, but at the moment his heart weighed in more favor for Jeri. This was due more to his love for Jeri than Rika's threat. After all, whatever he felt for Hikari was probably just a hormonal phase than romantic interest. Or so he told himself.

In the end, he decided to give Hikari a chance and see where things went from there. He still loved Jeri and he had no intentions of betraying her. But he knew he would always wonder for the rest of his life if he never actually gave this possibility a chance. It was just a date, there would be no commitment. Besides, Takato and Jeri weren't exactly seeing each other officially at the moment so no harm would be done.

At that moment, Guilmon decided to roll on top of Takato in his sleep. Trying to grasp a breath of air, Takato rolled his digimon partner off the bed with a loud crash. Guilmon scrambled to his feet and asked, "Did I roll on top of you again, Takatomon?"

"Don't worry about it," Takato said, "It's only the fifth time tonight.'

"I'm sorry Takatomon," Guilmon answered meakly, climbing back on to the bed. Takato waved him off and put a pillow between them to keep Guilmon from rolling over him. Takato rolled onto his side and said, "Don't worry about it Guilmon, good night."

"Good night."

Takato fell asleep that night, a plan in mind for the next day. A plan he carried out early the next morning after a quick change of clothes into a white shirt, a blue coat vest and some brown shorts. He tiptoed out of the room, hoping not to wake Guilmon. He snuck out of the apartment and towards Odaiba General Hospital.

…………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Most of the digidestined had already left the hospital, promising to return to visit later on. Her parents encouraged Hikari to go home with them, but she insisted on staying. Reluctantly, her mother decided to stay with Hikari while her father went home to get some sleep. He would be back any minute to relieve her mother so she could go home while he waited with HIkari.

Koushiro decided to stay as well, and was busy typing away on his laptop. Aside from him, the only other digidestined who stayed were Sora and Yamato who were quietly discussing Koushiro's words. Hikari tuned them out, preferring to dwell in her own thoughts.

How could her older brother be suicidal? It didn't make any sense because she never saw any reason to believe it was the case. But it did explain why Taichi was out of contact with the family for so long. But it just wasn't Taichi. He was never one to lie down and give up. He plowed through.

No matter how many times she ran it through her head, it just didn't make sense. Or maybe, she didn't want it to make sense. It had happened as plain as day and she knew it. Perhaps, it only didn't make sense because she didn't want it to make sense. Her brother was trying to work himself to death and nobody knew it was going to happen.

This made her sick to her stomach and her knees shake. She wanted to know why her brother could do this to himself, but she also knew she had to help him first. But what could she do? How could she help someone who wanted nothing more than to die? The doctors say he awoke some time ago and they were administering a test to determine his "mental state".

"Hey guys," she heard Takato say nonchalantly. Hikari felt the sickness in her stomach be replaced by butterflies and she looked up at him hopefully, "Takato?"

"What's up man?" Yamato asked. Takato shrugged, "I just came over to check on Hikari. I mean her brother, Hikari's brother."

Hikari heard Koushiro snicker from behind his laptop. The butterflies in her stomach probably just tied a knot because she had no clue how to react to Takato's words. She wanted to feel happy, but it made her more upset. It felt like a knife was stabbed right through her heart. She gazed at Takato quietly for the longest time before she realized what she was doing and embarrassingly looked away.

Takato took the seat beside her, on the other side of her mother, and asked, "How's your brother?"

"He woke up already," Hikari said, "The doctors are testing him in another room."

"Is everything okay?" Takato asked. Hikari remained silent, refusing to answer. Thankfully, her mom decided to chime in and ask, "Excuse me, have we met?"

"Oh, I'm sorry mom," Hikari responded, glad to change the subject, "Mom, this is Takato. He's new at school. Takato, this is my mom."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Yagami," Takato said respectfully. Her mother smiled cheerfully, "The pleasure is all mine. So when did you start?"

"A few days ago," Takato answered, "I came from Shinjuku, just a little bit north."

"Shinjuku?" Hikari's mother repeated in surprise, "Why would your family decide to come out here? Shinjuku is such a nice place."

"They wanted to expand their bakery," Takato said, "So they sold the old bakery to a young family and we opened up a new one down here. They're hoping to start a chain of bakeries."

"Oh, that's nice," her mom answered, "Do you plan on joining them in their business when your older?"

"I haven't exactly given that much thought," Takato answered, his face turning bright red. Hikari thought it was cute to see him get embarrassed over something like that. Just then, Hikari's father appeared at the door. He hugged and kissed his wife on the cheek before hugging Hikari. He looked at his wife worriedly and asked, "How's our boy?"

"They said he's awake and they're testing him," her mother answered. Her father nodded and said, "Why don't you two girls go home and I'll wait here. I'll call you if anything happens."

"No, I want to stay here," Hikari protested. Her father remained adamant, "Hikari, you need to rest. You have classes tomorrow and I'm not going to let you stay home if you're sleepy."

"Dad, I-"

"I know you're worried for him. I am too. But the best thing for you right now is to go home and get some rest, alright?" her father reprimanded. Hikari's eyes shifted downward in defeat. She wanted to stay just a little bit longer, in case they were allowed to see Taichi. Instantaneously, her mother sided with her, "Honey, let her stay just a little longer. If they don't let us see Taichi in an hour, I'll bring her home."

Her father hesitated to answer, but finally said, "Alright."

"Okay, we're going to wait just one more hour," her mother told her childishly. Hikari nodded happily and smiled, "Thanks mom."

They sat there in awkward silence, waiting patiently Takato shifting uncomfortably in his seat every five minutes. She began to worry that she was the reason he was so uncomfortable. He was here but he didn't seem to want to be. Attempting to keep him a little longer, she asked, "So how was the bakery yesterday."

"Guilmon started helping himself to the stock," Takato answered sheepishly, "He only stopped when half the stock was gone."

"I'm sorry," Hikari responded. She had chosen a lame conversation topic and immediately began thinking of something else they could talk about. Anything would have been better, but her choices were limited since the Digital World was still a taboo subject with her parents.

"Izumi Koushiro?" A doctor asked. Koushiro tucked away his laptop and went to meet the doctor. After a few minutes, he motioned to the others and said, "They're going to let us see him."

Hikari's heart began to race. What was she supposed to say to him? She jumped to her feet and followed after the doctor and Izumi. As their group walked down the hall, the doctor quietly explained to them, "The test results confirm multiple nutritional deficits which we caught on time. If it had been any later, the malnutrition would have been fatal. We're giving him some liquid supplements through an IV drip. His calcium count is lower than expected so there maybe some permanent bone damage. During the operation, we went in and clamped his bones together with iron casts which we're hoping will aid the healing process."

"Will he be alright?" Hikari's mother asked. The doctor frowned, "Right now, it's too early to say. The right side of his brain isn't damaged but there's definitely a concussion, which is parts of the left side of his body paralyzed. Sometimes he can feel movement, and other times he can't. We'll administer physical therapy once we feel he's healthy enough to start work again."

"Is there anything else we should know doctor?" her father asked. The doctor pulled a lollipop out of his pocket and placed it in his mouth, "Yes. Normally we would keep this under patient confidentiality, but we have reason to believe Taichi isn't mentally fit to handle responsibility for decisions regarding his medical treatment. Nothing's confirmed yet, but we're more than certain that your son has a combination of major depressive disorder and what we believe to be border-line personality disorder. We're waiting for the test results to come back for confirmation."

"What's border-line personality disorder?" Yamato asked from behind. The doctor took out the lollipop, rolled it his hands and replaced it, "It a personality disorder where a person has erratic mood swings which have difficult being expressed, usually resulting in dissociative identity disorder."

"What?" Sora said. The doctor looked back with a childish expression on his face, "Multiple personalities. It happens only in rare cases so there's no reason to think he has more than one person in his head. His room is right here. You can visit him for fifteen minutes but you'll have to leave him afterwards."

"Okay, thanks," her father said, but the doctor had already wandered off. He held the door open for everyone to go in but Hikari found herself standing in the doorway. Her feet refused to move her any closer, freezing to their spot on the ground. She was afraid to go in. What would she say to him? How could she look him in the face after all that happened? She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder which warmed her feet, "It'll be alright Hikari."

"Takato," Hikari's face flushed. At that moment, her neck decided to turn towards Takato despite how red her face was. He had a warm smile on his face, that melted away whatever constricted her feet. Time seemed to stand still, as they stood there and stared into each other's eyes.

"Hey you two," her father chimed in that instant, warning Takato jokingly, "You better not be getting any ideas about my little girl there."

"Oh, sorry," Takato retracted his hand quietly.

"It's okay dad," she said, disappointed by his sudden intrusion in to that moment. She wanted it to last longer, but there was no point crying over it. She walked inside, followed by Takato and her. Inside, Taichi was sitting up on his bed quietly. A bag filled with clear liquid dripped through a tube in to his arm. He held the IV stand for support with his free arm. His other arm was wrapped in a cast held by a sling around his neck. His head wrapped in bandages tightly, showing they had shaved his head clean of any hair.

"Hey buddy, how are you feeling?" Yamato asked. Taichi remained silent, looking away from all of them. Yamato frowned and walked up to Taichi. When Yamato entered Taichi's field of view, perked his head up to get a glimpse of Yamato. Instantly, Yamato jumped back in surprise, "Taichi…are you okay man?"

Taichi didn't answer, turning his gaze around to get a glimpse of everyone else. Hikari's heart sank when she and her brother made eye contact. It was a piercing gaze that seemed to stare right at her soul, chilling it to the very core.

…………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Pale eyes that were sunken into his face reminiscently of a skull. A blank expression that felt as if it were scanning your very soul with cold prudence. Takato felt a mix of awe and worry. The last time he saw anyone in such a condition, it was when the fake Jeri returned from the Digital World with the rest of the Tamers. If Takato's worst suspicions were true, then this Taichi before them was a D-Reaper Agent.

That left many questions unanswered for Takato. In particular, how did the D-Reaper happen to create a Taichi look-alike and, more importantly, why was the D-Reaper active again? Was it planning another invasion of the Real World or worse? Takato had no time to think up questions. He needed to get everyone out of that room immediately.

"Say guys, why don't we go for a drink of water?" Takato said hopefully. They all refused, saying they just arrived. Takato was in trouble, he didn't have his digivice, his cards or his digimon partner with him. If this D-Reaper Agent tried anything here and now, they would all be in trouble. Especially Hikari.

The faux Taichi suddenly jerked his head in Takato's direction. Even though his mouth wasn't moving, Taichi's voice rang in Takato's ears, "Darkness will consume the light you hold most precious."

Takato had no idea how to make heads or tails of that statement, but understood what Taichi was doing. Takato wouldn't be intimidated by an idle threat. If Taichi was going to do something, it would have done so by now. But what did it mean by the light he held most precious?

"Taichi, is there anything you want to tell us?" Hikari's father asked. Taichi's gaze shifted to his father, his expression still remaining passive, "No."

Taichi's father flinched slightly, even though it was just a simple word. Takato remained wary of Taichi for the remainder of the visit. They all tried to make conversation with Taichi, but would only manage to get one or two words out of him at a time and it always made the other person flinch despairingly. Hoping to change the subject, Sora lightly turned on the television and put it on NHK.

"This is Shogou Kosuke reporting live from Odaiba where-"

"Naruto! Loo-"

"As the flower petals fall, I wa-"

"Why'd you do it?"

As Sora and Yamato flipped through the channels to find something they all could watch, Takato felt Taichi's gaze on him again. Takato tried his best to ignore it, trying to pay attention to whatever program came on the television. Once again, he heard Taichi's voice even though his lips were not moving, "They don't deserve this world. You thought you could stop me, but you haven't seen what I am truly…capable of."

Takato continued to ignore him, but began to wonder why nobody else seemed to be reacting to Taichi. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and a female nurse came in, "I'm sorry. Visiting time is now over. I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Okay," Hikari's father said, "We'll stop by to visit tomorrow, okay Taichi?"

Taichi just stared at him blankly. His father shuddered and ushered everyone outside, including Takato. As they left, he heard Taichi's voice say, "This is just the beginning."

Takato frowned, and shut the door behind him. Why wasn't anyone reacting to Taichi's words? Couldn't they hear him? More importantly, was he the only one who seemed even remotely concerned? He received his answer as they left the building, when Koushiro asked, "Am I the only one who thinks Taichi was a little off?"

Hikari sighed, "I thought I was the only one."

"Do you think it's the concussion?" Sora asked the computer genius. Koushiro shrugged, "There are cases when brain damage leads to personality changes."

Hikari quietly muttered, "This is all my fault. It was my stupid idea."

"Hikari, you can't keep blaming yourself for this," Takato told her, "Feeling upset may mean you care, but it's not going change what happened and it's not going to help your brother."

Sora decided to take this moment to say, "You two get along very well considering you've only known each other for a few days."

Both Takato and Hikari's faces immediately flushed. Hikari's parents immediately leered at him dangerously, communicating an obvious idea: Hands off. Takato happily agreed, not wanting to earn their ire. When they left the hospital grounds, each of them went their separate ways. Koushiro left for Tokyo University, Sora and Yamato decided to spend the day on a date, and Hikari and her parents decided to return home. As Takato watched Hikari and her family walk down the street, it occurred to him that he still had to ask her on a date. Now wasn't really an opportune time, though. Despite that, he felt an overwhelming urge egg him on. Without a second thought, he called out to Hikari, "Hikari! Can you wait up a second?"

Hikari and her parents stopped in their tracks, turning to face the running Takato. When Takato caught up with them, he asked, "Hey, um…Hikari…can we talk in private? Just for a minute?"

"If you have anything to say to our daughter, you can say it in front of us," Hikari's father warned. Her mother pulled him away and said, "Let them be, hon."

"Not with my little girl," her father scowled. Hikari, face red, said, "I'll be fine dad."

Hikari's mother dragged her father away, giving Takato the privacy he was hoping for. Now he just had to ask the question. Mustering as much strength as he could, he stuttered, "Um…well, Hikari…I know we've only just met, but I was wondering…maybe…do you…"

Why was he stuttering? He was able to ask Jeri out with little problem, but he was stuttering all over his words with Hikari. He must have been embarrassing her because suddenly she was red with embarrassment. Takato stuttered for another minute before he finally forced it out, " Would you like to see a movie with me?"

"A movie? You mean," Hikari paused, "Like a date?"

"Yeah…a date," Takato stammered, "So what do you say?"

"I…I…" Hikari paused. Takato swallowed a lump in his throat, growing anxious to hear her answer. After Hikari's momentary silence, she finally said, "Yes…I'd love to."

Takato felt a wave of glee and asked, "Okay…how about we go Monday after school?"

"Yeah…okay," Hikari answered with a half smile, her cheeks still rose red. Takato nodded, "Okay, I'll see you then."

"Okay…um…bye," Takato managed to say. Hikari nodded with a smile before meeting up with her parents. Takato watched them disappeared down to the apartment area of Odaiba, feeling accomplished. He achieved his goal and was so caught up in the excitement that he couldn't! He would just have to make sure no one in Shinjuku found out. Takato then realized he would have to warn them. He went to a nearby phone booth and inserted some coins to dial Henry's number. If anyone could get in contact with Yamaki, it would be him.

Ring! Ring! Ring! Click

"Hello?" a deep voice asked.

"Hello, can I speak with Henry please?" Takato asked.

"May I ask whose calling?"

"Tell him its Matsuda Takato."

"Oh hang on…" the voice disappeared. In the background, Takato heard what sounded like shouting before he heard another click, "Hey Takato, what's up?"

"Henry, listen very closely, the D-Reaper's back."

"What?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but I know what I saw. The D-Reaper's agent is here."

"Hang on…start from the beginning," Henry said, his voice carrying a tone of disbelief.

"I can't," Takato said, "I only have about another minute left. Can you get in contact with Yamaki and let him know."

There was a short pause before Henry answered, "Okay, I'll give him a call."

"Thanks," Takato said before Henry hung up the phone. Takato sighed in relief. Henry would warn the others and let Yamaki know. Now, Takato had a date he had to plan for.

…………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari never felt so happy before in her life. Takato asked her on a date. But what was she supposed to wear? What was she supposed to say? She needed help from someone with experience in these situations. This meant Miyako. Taking out her D-Terminal, she IMed Miyako a message.

_Can you come over to my place? I need a hand._

No more than ten minutes after she sent that message, Miyako appeared at her door with Ken in tow. Hikari wasn't sure how to react to her friends' quick appearance, but greeted them anyway with smile, "Hi guys."

"He asked you out, didn't he?" Miyako asked. Hikari's face immediately went red and she argued, "What gave you that idea?"

"Ken and I saw when we were going to visit Taichi at the hospital, right Ken?" Miyako said. Ken nodded, "You two looked so cute. But I was wondering…maybe…do you…would you like to see a movie with me?"

"Shut up!" Hikari retorted at Ken's mockery, her face as red as ever. Ken and MIyako just laughed and let themselves in, "You know we're just joking. So, what did you want help with?"

"Well…I couldn't decide on," Hikari started, "What to wear…or…"

"Don't worry," Miyako winked. She led the way into Hikari's room and happily proclaimed, "Ken and I are going to get you ready for your date!"

…………

**Author's Notes: **Well, another chapter over and done with. I know it was short, but please bare with me for the time being. After all, working 40 hours a week takes it toll. My next update will be in six weeks on Friday, July 3rd. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	11. Hikari's First Date or Murphy's Law

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Hey everybody! Thanks for being so patient with me. Needless to say, work robbed me of the time I wanted to work on this chapter but, in my defense, my job requires a lot of commitment. For those of you who don't know my job, it's in a little thing called Health Care. And since I'm always on call, I don't get a lot of sleep. This is an early update because I won't have time later tonight to review and post so I just want to say: thanks for your comments and for reading. Additionally, I ask for your forgiveness for any spelling, continuity, or grammar errors. Like I said, I had little time for review. Also, please bear in mind that I gave two titles to this chapter because I couldn't decide which I liked better. Now on to review responses:

**Tri-Emperor of Twilight: **Yes, yes they are.

**ARCtheElite: **In retrospect, you're right. I mentioned it too early, but I don't have a lot of time flesh out these chapters as I'd like to. Most of it is spent at work and I had about two days to come up with something.

**Caellach Tiger Eye: **As I've said before and will continue to say: I don't have as much time to work on these stories as I want to, let alone cater to the whims of specific readers. I literally pull a lot of this out of my ass because I have so little time to work on it. I'm sorry if my patients' health and well-being are a little more important to me than how you want me to write the story. I don't expect you to read this story again, but I do expect you to be a little less empathetic regarding a non-canon story made up by a health care worker on his spare time.

**Lord Pata: **Dammit Pata! I was going to keep the PataxGato a surprise but you ruined it! Oh well, I guess the cat's out of the bag. Look for some subtle hints in the next chapter. I'm not a TakatoxHikari shipper either so believe me when I say this story is very hard to write.

**Zaku-118: **Thanks for the kind words.

**Shikamaru123456789: **Grazie! Sorry for the long wait, but you'll have to bear with me. I don't have a lot of time work on these and six weeks is really barely enough time for me to write ten pages.

**Light-Sakura: **Wait so you do but you don't? I'm so confused! Make the brain stop hurting mommy! Please! Owwie!

**Pokemon-35055: **I'm doing what I can good sir, please bear with me until then.

**Cartoon-watcher-4-eva: **Thank you, thank you. The D-Reaper was planned out for a while, but I needed to come up with something quick to fill in another two pages so I decided to insert the D-Reaper early. In retrospect, it was a bad idea.

**GRX3m0m: **Yes, yes we are.

**Outlaw hunter: **Looks can be deceiving. Naw, I'm kidding. Thanks for the compliment.

**The-ice-cold-alchemist: **Thanks you, thank you. Believe me, they're all screwed. Big Time.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 11: Hikari's First Date/Murphy's Law**

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

"Attention Students! This is a reminder that school uniforms have been reinstated by the school district! Disciplinary action will be taken against all students not in uniform. This has been an announcement by the Odaiba High News Club!"

The school's PA system clicked off just as the rush of students poured into school. Most of them sported the school's green blazer, gray slacks and white shirt. The few who didn't wore sullen faces. Takato was thankful for remembering the change in school rules before leaving his home. Otherwise he would have shown up like Daisuke who stared at everyone with a clueless expression.

"Hey Takato! What's going on?" Daisuke asked.

"We're supposed to start wearing our school uniforms, remember?"

"That was today?" Daisuke asked. Takato did his best to hold in a laugh so he would avoid annoying Daisuke. Daisuke slapped himself in the head and groaned, "Oh man, this is going to suck so bad."

"Hey guys!" Miyako greeted them. She was also wearing the high school uniform: a green sailor uniform with matching green scarf and skirt. Beside her was Ken, also in school uniform although it was more neatly kept than those of his peers. The couple walked arm in arm towards Daisuke and Takato, both wearing cheerful expressions, "I see Daisuke forgot about the uniforms."

"Yeah, yeah," Daisuke waved them off, "What's the worse they can do? Ooh, detention, I'm so scared!"

"Will see about that when detention comes around," Miyako joked, "Come on! We'll be late for class!"

"Alright, alright," Daisuke sighed, folding his arms behind his head and following after the couple. Takato decided to hang back in the hopes to catch a glimpse of Hikari in the school uniform. As a guy, he had to admit that the skirts were appealing and he could only imagine how Hikari would look in one. He tossed his backpack over his shoulder and leaned casually against the school's wall.

Amidst the large crowd of students pouring into the school, he saw no sign of either TK or Hikari. He assured himself they were probably just running late and kept on waiting. The crowd of people gradually began to thin, until all that remained were the latecomers who were sprinting in order to avoid the bell. Takato decided he couldn't wait any longer and proceeded inside the school. After a quick trip to his locker to get on the school slippers, he went to his first class.

The day preceded normally, each class being as boring as the last. The whole day, Takato felt himself thinking about his planned date with Hikari later that day. He hadn't given much thought to what movie they would see or anything afterwards. In fact, he had been so caught up thinking about the date that he never actually planned for it.

What haunted him most were the ethical issues. He still loved Jeri and would prefer the date be with her but he also felt a strange obsession with Hikari, which he couldn't overcome. He reminded himself this date was only to find out what his true feelings for Hikari were. It was a necessary risk if Takato was ever going to come to terms with his mixed feelings. If he wasn't certain of his feelings after the date, then he would remain loyal to his affection for Jeri.

When lunchtime came, he hurriedly rushed to the cafeteria. To his disappointment, Hikari was not there. He heaved a sigh and joined the others: Daisuke, Takeru, Miyako and Ken.

"Hey, what's up Takato?" Miyako said with interest, "You look down."

"Hey, have you seen Hikari?" Takato asked. They all exchanged looks before shrugging. Miyako answered, "Last time I saw her was yesterday, when she invited me and Ken over."

"What were you doing over at her house?" Daisuke asked curiously.

"We were helping her prepare for her date with Takato," Miyako explained with a knowing smile in Takato's direction, "Isn't that right?"

"Uh…well…" Takato stammered. Daisuke interrupted him with an immediate, "You did WHAT!?"

Takato had no idea what he did wrong, but he certainly had Daisuke's ire. Takato threw his hands up defensively as Daisuke closed in to make a punch. Before Daisuke could even get a fist in, Takeru took hold of him and held him back, "Calm down Daisuke, it's just a date!"

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing, Daisuke," Takeru reprimanded him, "You had three years to make a move, but you never did. Leave them be, okay?"

Daisuke leered at Takato for a moment before shaking free of Takeru's hold, "Fine. Takato, if you do anything to hurt her-"

"Let it go Daisuke," Ken ordered, which silenced him on the spot. Daisuke grunted disapprovingly, picked up his backpack and left, "I'm going to the library."

Daisuke quickly vanished from the cafeteria without another word. Takato had no idea what just happened and was about to ask the others, only for Takeru to give him an answer, "Don't mind Daisuke. He's always been attached to Hikari, more than he realizes if you ask me. He gets a little competitive and overly protective if anyone starts to show any interest in her."

"A little?" Takato repeated with a sarcastic tone.

"Okay, a lot," Takeru corrected himself, "Don't worry, though. Give him some time to blow off some steam and he'll back to normal."

"Oh, alright," Takato said definitively, taking his seat, "So where is Hikari?"

"Hang on," Miyako took out her D-Terminal and began typing away furiously, "Okay. I've sent her a message. She should answer any minute now."

As if on cue, her D-Terminal beeped and Miyako read aloud the reply, "On my way. At hospital with parents. I'll explain later…I wonder if something happened to Taichi?"

"The Dark Ocean," Ken murmured, dropping his rice into his lunch box. Miyako and Takeru looked at him worriedly, "Again?"

Once again confused, Takato placatively asked, "What's going on?"

"Ken is pretty sensitive to the darkness of the Dark Ocean," TK explained at just above a whisper, "Just being near anything from that world can shake him up bad. If it weren't for Miyako, he'd probably take weeks to get over being near it."

"I could feel it," Ken whimpered quietly, "It was faint but it was there. Only it wasn't quite like it. It was…different, like it was something else and yet the same thing."

Takato's mind reeled. Ken didn't realize it at the time, but what he felt was the D-Reaper. Even if it wasn't at its full power at the time, it had enough of an impact to affect Ken. What really perplexed him was Ken's ability to detect it despite the D-Reapers lack of a natural affinity. It wasn't good or evil by nature, it was just fulfilling its primary purpose: the containment of excess life forms in the Digital World. How it achieved self awareness was something beyond Takato's comprehension, and wasn't exactly something he was concerned with.

After lunch, everyone went off to his or her next classes. As Takato headed back to his next class, he caught sight of Hikari who was panting furiously and gasping for breath. Despite how little time he had to get to his next class, Takato was at her side in no time, "Hey Hikari."

Her face was already flushed, but she smiled, "Hey Takato."

"So what happened, earlier?" he asked.

"Taichi ran off," Hikari explained, "The police interviewed everyone: mom, dad, me, the nurses, and the doctors. They said that in Taichi's case, he might already…be…"

Hikari paused at the last part, her eyes becoming teary. Although she appeared ready to start bawling, Takato could tell she was doing her best to rein in her tears. Unsure of what he could do, Takato apologetically said, "I'm sorry Hikari."

"No, it's not your fault," Hikari said, her voice shaky. She immediately tried to change the subject of the conversation, "So…um…what movie are we going to see later?"

"Well," Takato stammered, "I didn't really think too much about it. Is there anything in particular you want to see?"

"Not really," Hikari murmured, "How about we go shopping in Shinjuku?"

"Uh…Shinjuku?" Takato paled. Hikari nodded, her weak voice barely concealing how hurt she was, "Yeah, you're from there, right? Why don't we go? I've always wanted to shop there."

"Er…" Takato choked on his words, trying to come up with a way to avert going to the Shinjuku at all. He racked his mind, trying to come up with some kind of way to change the subject all together but was put off by Hikari's, "How about it?"

She wore what appeared to be the first genuine smile he had ever seen. In fact, it seemed this was the first smile she had worn in a while. Takato didn't want to ruin her moment, and reluctantly said, "Yeah, alright. Let's meet up after school and head down."

"Yeah…okay," Hikari smiled, "I'll see you then."

"Okay," Takato returned the smile awkwardly, waving as Hikari disappeared down the halls. She waved back and turned a corner, vanishing from sight. Takato took this chance to head off for his class, his mind racing through what just happened. There was no way to change plans at this point. He was definitely screwed.

…………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari ran a hand through her hair, trying to wrap her mind around the math problem in front of her. The mean of a sample of twenty variables is twenty-six. If the total population were two hundred, what are the population mean and the variance? What was that question supposed to mean anyway? Hoping to earn some points for effort, she quickly jotted down some formulas she remembered and prayed that one was right.

In the back of her mind, she happily anticipated the end of the school day and her date with Takato. She still couldn't get over that it happened at all. It was like a dream come true, something she was certain would never occur happened right in front of her. The whole thing was only spoiled by Taichi's escapade.

Why did he run off? Taichi was being anything but Taichi lately and it worried her to no end. She just wanted some kind of explanation, something that would put everything into context instead of the series of seemingly unfortunate events that played out one after another.

"Five more minutes class," the instructor said, continuing his paces up and down the class. Hikari returned her attention to the last question on the paper. She jotted down a brief answer and set her pencil down with a sigh. She did not want to see another test for some time.

When the bell rang to signal the end of class, everyone returned their papers to the teacher and promptly left the room. Hikari ran down a flight of stairs to her locker to retrieve her tennis shoes and put away her books. Afterwards, she went outside and waited by the gate to the school for Takato to arrive.

Five minutes of waiting felt like an eternity. She was anxious to get going, both out of excitement and worry. After all, this was her _first _date, first being the key word. She had never been on a date before and didn't want to play the fool at all, otherwise she would give Takato the wrong impression about her.

She felt guilty, asking Miyako and Ken to help her pick out something to wear when, in the end, she wasn't even going to wear it. Takato agreed to take her to Shinjuku, a last minute change in plans but she was certain he wouldn't mind.

"Hey, Hikari," Takato appeared beside her, "Are you ready to go?"

"Um…yeah," she mumbled silently, uncharacteristically. They walked silently towards the local train station, where Takato purchased two student tickets for the next train to Shinjuku. Afterwards, they waited silently for the train to arrive, neither saying a thing the whole time. Anxiety completely overtook Hikari at this point. Takato wore a seemingly uncomfortable look, and he was doing his best to avoid Hikari's immediate gaze.

Hikari initial thought was to blame her self for being a bad date. After all, she had never been on one before and was completely nervous about the whole thing. With a near apologetic tone, she meekly called Takato's attention, "Um…Takato."

"Yeah, what's up?" he said casually, facing her with a bright smile on his face. She continued to stutter, "Um…sorry, I've never really been on a date before. I'm…kind of nervous."

"Oh, don't worry," Takato said with a voice just as calm and casual as before, "A date is really just like two friends spending some time alone together. It's not like those dates you see on the TV soap operas where couples are too busy trying to suck each others faces off."

"Wait…so you've…been on a date before?" Hikari asked, trying to make sense of his words. Takato stumbled over his words, managing, "Oh, yeah, well, I have. Let's talk about something else: What do you want to do first when we get to Shinjuku?'

"Why not just shop around?" Hikari said, "I need some new clothes and I've never been there before."

"Yeah, okay," Takato grinned at her goofily. Hikari returned it with her own smile, still anxious about the whole ordeal to come. Her mind was put at ease when Takato compared it to two friends spending some time alone. The problem was they had only known each other for a few days. She did feel a certain bond with him because they were both digidestined, but that was no different from the bonds between herself and everyone else. However, that brought another issue to mind: who had Takato been on a date with in the past?

She was already beginning to have second thoughts when the train finally arrived. Takato took her hand and led her to the train, "Come on, let's go."

They stepped aboard as the train began to roll out of the station. It was a bumpy and crowded ride, mostly because of the evening commuters on their way home from a long day at work and high school students who lived far from their respective schools. Hikari was thankful for her seat at the time, because she spotted two middle aged men eyeing a group of high school girls on the far side of the car.

When the train slid to a stop, Hikari and Takato piled out with several other people. They left the station and went upstairs to the city above where she caught her first glimpse of Shinjuku. It was just as she imagined it: a colorful place, where each building was lined with shops and neon advertisements that lit up the surrounding area.

There were crowds of teens who were out shopping or clubbing. In retrospect, Hikari's school uniform seemed out of place here. Especially since most of the people her age were dressed either casually or in party clothes. Takato's presence was enough to put her at ease though.

They pressed down the busy street, stopping every few minutes to examine the items on the display windows of a store. They continued for some time in silence, their conversation turning only to comment on whatever the stores put on display. It was an awkward date to say the least. Hoping to brighten up their conversation, she immediately asked, "Do you think we can go see your old bakery?"

"Huh, oh that?" Takato stuttered out, "Well…um…I don't want to bother the new owners."

"I'm sure they won't mind," Hikari said, "So where is it?"

"It's really out of the way," Takato said evasively, "You don't mind the long walk do you?"

"No of course not. So let's get going,"

Takato scratched the back of his head and led the way down the straight and narrow street. The further they went, the less people the saw until eventually the street was no larger than an alley. Directly in front of them was a small, brightly lit bakery labeled: Matsuda Family Bakery – Tsousuke Family. Standing before it was a red haired girl in a gray sailor uniform. She was gazing emptily into the bakery, her eyes lost in a deep thought.

Takato inexplicably lifted the collar of his green blazer, "Wow, it sure is getting colder here ain't it?"

That statement struck her as odd, given how warm it was tonight. Summer was drawing closer and yet Takato claimed it was freezing. Takato led the way inside, where they found a young man and woman busily stocking shelves and trying to fulfill the orders of a crowd of shoppers.

"Two loaves of that Guilmon bread!" one customer shouted demandingly.

"A box of those ginger and cinnamon cookies!'

"A package of Kaiser Rolls!"

"Okay! That was two loaves of Guilmon bread, one box of ginger rolls, and three packages of Kaiser cookies," the woman frantically repeated incorrectly, running into the back. Takato turned to Hikari and quietly said, "Excuse me for a second."

Takato immediately ran behind the counter and tapped the man on the shoulder. The man waved, "Just a second dear, okay two loaves of bread, one loaf of…wait, hang on, let's start over."

"Hey Mr. Tsousuke, need a hand?" Takato asked. Mr. Tsousuke jumped up in surprise, "Wha…oh, hello. It's been a while. You were…Takeshi, right? Or was it Takeru?"

"Takato," he corrected, "What's the situation?"

"Well, my wife is doing her best to get the bread and dough ready," Mr, Tsousuke explained, "And I'm just trying to restock the shelves and get the sales on these purchases."

"Alright, I'll give you guys a hand," Takato ripped off his blazer, rolled up his sleeves, threw on an apron and ran into the back. Hikari watched awestruck as Takato ran out and quickly started stocking shelves with different boxes and bags. He disappeared and reappeared from the kitchen again, this time holding a tray of doughnuts in each hand. He placed them on the display shelves by the window front before disappearing into the kitchen yet again.

"He works fast, doesn't he?" Hikari turned her head to see the red haired girl in the gray uniform. She wasn't sure why the red haired girl was talking to her or when she entered the store but she had to agree, "Yeah, he is."

"He's always been," she added matter-of-factly, her tone suggesting she didn't hear her, "He always loved the bakery, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

"I'm sorry?" Hikari asked in response to the cryptic words. As if awakening from a trance, the girl shook her head and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Jeri, Katou Jeri."

"Hi Jeri, I'm Yagami Hikari. It's…um…nice to meet you."

"Again, I'm really sorry. It's been…um…a weird last couple of days," she said sincerely, "Are you a friend of Takato's?"

Hikari nodded politely. Jeri's face was torn between two strange expressions she had difficulty reading. Hikari dismissed it and asked, "So how do you know Takato?"

"I'm his girlfriend," Jeri said rather plainly, as if it were a common fact. Hikari felt something inside her break. Takato already had a girlfriend? Then why would he ask her on a date? Was he trying to cheat on Jeri with her? Or…no…no, none of this makes sense. Anger boiled up inside her. Trying to contain herself, she calmly said, "Excuse me."

She then departed out of the bakery and disappeared back towards the station.

…………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

After about an hour of work, Takato hung up his apron and replaced his blazer. The Tsousuke's thanked Takato for his help and he went out to meet Hikari. Only she wasn't there. However, Jeri was and she immediately greeted Takato by running up to him and placing a kiss on his lips. Takato was completely caught off guard, but he wanted the kiss to keep going even though he was on a date with Hikari.

When they finally broke away from the kiss, Jeri happily said, "Hey Takato. I missed you."

"I missed you too Jeri," Takato answered. Jeri was hugging him tightly, "You should have called that you were coming back to Shinjuku. I would have met you at the station."

"I'm sorry," Takato replied, "Do you know where Hikari went?"

"She left a little while ago," Jeri answered, releasing Takato from the hug, "Since you're here, why don't we go around town for a bit."

Takato happily agreed, while quietly worrying about what went on between Jeri and Hikari. As the left the building, waving their final good byes to the Tsousuke's, Takato asked, "So what did you and Hikari talk about?"

"Nothing really," Jeri answered, "I just introduced myself as your girlfriend and she left."

"You did?" Takato's voice shook weakly. Jeri nodded, "Yeah. So why don't we go to the usual spot? They have some new brews on the menu I'm sure you'll like."

Takato wearily agreed, a sinking feeling in his gut telling him he had messed up big time.

…………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari had no clue where she was. She was a complete stranger to Shinjuku and felt out of place here in this strange part of the city. She wandered up and down the streets, doing her best to retrace her steps before finally finding the station. She quickly bought a ticket back to Odaiba and waited patiently for the train.

She still couldn't believe the nerve of Takato. He asked her on a date when he already had a girlfriend. She was completely wrong about him. He was a jerk and she wanted nothing more to do with him. She waited impatiently for some time, wishing the train would come sooner before it finally appeared in the station. She stepped aboard and the train took off.

Hikari looked up and down the car anxiously, realizing there was only one other person in there with her: a tall figure in black slacks, a white dress shirt. The top of his head was bandaged. From this distance, Hikari would have mistaken him for Taichi were it not for the fact that Taichi was somewhere in Odaiba. He had no reason to be in Shinjuku.

Suddenly, the train came to a sudden stop in the middle of the tracks and all the lights in the car died. Upon closer inspection, she realized whole sections of the city had been blacked out. She sighed quietly and did her best to remain calm. After all, she was only in a train car with a complete stranger, there was no need to get worried. Unless he tried to rape her. She shook the idea from her head, reminding herself that it was statistically unlikely. Or so she thought until she heard the feet of the figure moving towards.

His feet tapped the ground silently with each step, growing louder and louder as they drew closer. Hikari sat frozen to her seat, unable to move until the man was right next to her, "She is calling to us. Can you hear her? It is beautiful."

The man's voice echoed ominously, but Hikari would recognize it anywhere. She looked up at the man in disbelief and whispered, "Taichi?"

"This is beyond your domain," he said, red tentacles appearing from every inch of his body. They wrapped themselves around her, constricting her to the ground. She struggled to resist, doing whatever she could to get free only to find it a futile effort. She resigned in defeat after struggling for sometime until a great force struck her in the back of the head. As her world became dark and gloomy, she heard Taichi say, "You are all…coming home."

…………

**Author's Notes: **Well, another chapter over and done with. I know it was short, but please bare with me for the time being. After all, health care is not a job to be taken lightly. My next update will be in six weeks on Friday, August 14th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	12. Takato's Failure

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Hey again everyone. Thanks for dealing with my otherwise busy schedule. I'm once again going through the transition of returning to school while working. Needless to say, Healthcare is a very exhausting and needs a lot of commitment on my part. Thanks again for all your comments, reviews, support, and favorites. Please bear with any spelling/grammar errors for now since none of my betas got back to me. Also, before I go on to review responses, I must explain that I make mention to the SAT or Special Assault Team – a specialized Japanese counter-terrorist unit similar to the American SWAT. I also make references to the JSDF or Japanese Self-Defense Force, Japan's native military which is relegated primarily to protecting Japan and its allies. Now on to review responses:

**Chm01: **Yes, yes it is.

**Lord Pata: **Believe me, things will only get worse for Takato as time goes by.

**Shikamaru123456789: **Well, I'm happy to see you show an interest in healthcare. Remember one thing: healthcare requires a lot of commitment. You will by cursed, you will be spat on, you will do things you don't want to do, you will be attacked by your patients, and you will be underappreciated. Just remember, it's about the healthcare recipients and not you.

**Light-Sakura: **I know, I hate being mean to poor Takato but you will see a glimpse why in this chapter.

**Tri-Emperor of the Twilight: **Indeed.

**Chaos Blademaster: **Well thank you for the compliments. I'm trying my best to maintain the schedule regularly while coming up with more plot for the story. There are times when I actually have to stop and rewrite whole sections because I am literally writing this as I go now. I never planned past the picnic which I was hoping to cover a long time ago.

**Zaku-118: **He is the titular character for a reason. Things are always darkest before the dawn.

**The-ice-cold alchemist: **Sorry, I wasn't trying to incite Jeri-hating. I still ship Takato x Jeri. As I said, I'm only writing this as a request for creepingshadow.

**Lupine Lover: **Wait no longer for here it is!

**Coppa-Cola: **Believe me, those are all questions you will receive answers to in the coming questions. I may be writing this as I go, but I have a good idea where I want it to end.

And now, without further ado, I present the next chapter of Takato's Light.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 12: Takato's Failure**

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Takato and Jeri walked down the street to their usual spot, a small café near the bakery where they came to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while listening to the casual music. However, he couldn't ignore the worry, the guilt or the fear that over took him. Hikari could be anywhere in Shinjuku and here he was going to enjoy coffee with his ex.

Just then, the lights down the street went black. As did the lights in the building in front of them, followed by the buildings behind them and down the block. The sound of horns honking and tires screeching filled the night as car head lights went every way imaginable. Taking Jeri by the hand, he dove into the nearest store just as a car veered into a street light and sent driver flying through the wind shield.

Takato gazed past the wrecked car and into the darkened streets, coming to the sudden realization that the power had failed all around the city. As he stepped out of the store, he heard the unmistakable sounds of confusion and uproar. Beside him, Jeri asked, "What do you think happened?"

"I don't know, but it looks like powers out in the entire city," Takato stated obviously. Checking his cell phone, he found he had absolutely no signal, "The phone lines are down too."

"What now?" Jeri asked. Takato tried to answer, only to be stopped by the sudden vibration of the ground. His immediate thought was an earthquake, which would explain the power outage but not why it happened after the black out. Jeri clung to Takato, holding on close for dear life. Takato, however, could bring himself to hold her. He was too worried about Hikari.

…………

(As Seen From Hikari' Perspective)

The dark, empty realm was devoid of anything. No light, no sound, nothing. Just darkness as far as the eye could see. Then a small red spark flashed before her, turning the void a dark shade of blood red. Everything appeared to be made of a gelatinous slime. Before her stood an angelic creature, whose body was a bluish gray. It hovered a few feet in the air because of its wings, each bore the same yellow eye. A cylindrical metal disc ran around its face which it used to examined Hikari carefully.

In a strange monotonous tone, the creature stated, "Analysis Complete. Replication beginning."

The creature disappeared into the distance, leaving Hikari alone in the dark empty void. She tried to follow after it, but could not keep up with its blinding speed. She continued in the same direction for some time, even after it had long since disappeared into the horizon. There was no telling what lay in that direction, but if it meant being anywhere other than here, then she would settle.

After a journey that felt like hours, she came across a large glowing orb seemingly made of the same material as the gelatinous slime. As she drew closer, she realized there was someone inside the structure. The person was strangely familiar and, to her horror, it was. It was her brother Taichi, holding his knees to his chest and staring blankly at his feet.

"Taichi?" she called out his name, hoping for some kind of reaction. Silence was her answer. HE didn't even react to the sound of her voice prompting her to rush forward and pound against the orb. She hit it with all her might, but was unable to get Taichi's attention. Hikari only stopped when her fist became soar from all the punching.

She sank to the ground, rubbing her soar hand. How was she supposed to get him out of there? More importantly, how did she get here and how was she to get out. She brought her knees to her chest and began to cry. Cry from the frustration of the revelation of Takato's girlfriend, from the rift that grew between her and her brother, from the inability of being unable to escape this hell.

…………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

"Takato! Look at that!" Jeri pointed out in the direction of Odaiba. Takato craned his neck to see a towering structure made of elongated red cables. At the summit of the structure was a giant blue head whose mouth hung wide open. It let out a giant roar and revealed a string of hooks from its body. The hooks began swinging rampantly, destroying the surrounding buildings and sending debris flying through the air.

"Oh man, not now," Takato said under his breath.

"That can't be," Jeri said, "I thought we destroyed the D-Reaper."

Takato cursed under his breath and opened his cell phone again, hoping to be able to get in contact with any of the tamers or the digi-destined. Unfortunately, his phone still was not receiving any kind of signal he could use to make a call. He put his cell phone away and immediately took off down the street. There was no point in taking the subway, since it was probably down from the black out.

"Takato! Wait!" Jeri called after him, appearing at his side in no time, "Where are you going?"

"Guilmon and my D-Arc," Takato said, "We'll need it."

"Wait, Guilmon?" Jeri asked. Takato waved it off and continued running, "I'll explain later."

"Takato, what's going on!?" Jeri demanded,, just barely managing to keep pace with Takato. Takato wasn't sure why or how, but in that one instant he forgot all about Jeri. All of his worries were directed towards Hikari's wellbeing. He wanted, no he needed to know she was safe.

"Takato, wait! Slow down!" Jeri said, calling him back from his hurried daze. A white flash blinded Takato for a moment. Takato immediately came to a halt, confused by the sudden flash. Then there was another flash accompanied by a voice, "_I heard the noise of thunder, the whispers in the night telling me of the end._"

Takato froze. It was the D-Reaper, but that could only mean Taichi was nearby. The question was where and, more importantly, why? Again, he heard the D-Reaper's voice speak to him, "_You think you created me, but I have been here for an eternity. Waiting…for the reunion. You think you can resist, but you haven't seen what we're truly capable of…_"

Another bright flash, this time it disoriented Takato and caused him to wobble where he stood. There was another flash that sent him into something hard. The D-Reaper's voice ominously said, "_You have not won, you will never win_."

"Takato, is something wrong?" Jeri asked. Takato's daze bearly kept him from answering Jeri, "No, it's nothing."

"Takato," Jeri pleaded, "Please talk to me. What is going on? Do you know why the D-Reaper's back? And what do you mean by Guilmon? Is he back?"

"It's a really long story," Takato said meekly, picking himself up. Jeri grabbed him before he could take off and forced him to face her, "Then start explaining Takato. You seem to know what's going on. You can tell me Takato."

Takato and Jeri stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, each unable to say anything to the other. Takato wanted to tell her the truth, he really did, but he didn't want to hurt Jeri's feelings. However, everything would be much worse if he lied now and she found out later. Clenching his fists, he bitterly said, "That girl, Hikari, she and her friends are part of a group called the Digidestined. They helped save me from this world they called the Dark Ocean. That's where I met Guilmon but I don't know what he was doing there and neither does he. I think Hikari's brother was possessed by the D-Reaper during our trip to the Digital World."

"I think I get the gist of it," Jeri admitted meekly. Takato bit his lip before admitting the final part, "And Jeri…there's one more thing. Hikari and I…we weren't in Shinjuku to visit. We were on a date."

Silence. Jeri looked at Takato in disbelief, the same empty look on her face when Leomon was killed and absorbed by Beelzemon. Panicking, Takato immediately reached out to hug Jeri only to be met with a hard slap across the face.

Takato paused himself, rubbing the area where Jeri slapped him. He wanted to apologize and was about to when Jeri ran off. He didn't chase after her. Or rather, he couldn't chase after her. His legs were glued to the ground, unmoving. All he could do was reach his hand out to her, mouthing the words: don't go. Takato could only watch as Jeri disappeared into the distance.

A strong pain panged in his chest, a feeling like he would be torn in two. It was worse than the longing he had for Jeri when he had moved to Odaiba; Worse than the feelings of betraying Jeri for having any kind of emotion for Hikari. Was this what was called heartbreak?

"Through my will, the universe will be reborn!" the D-Reaper's voice echoed in his mind. He came to his senses, remembering he had to get to Guilmon and his D-Arc. He took off again at break-neck pace, ignoring the intense feelings of remorse, guilt, and nausea that slowly overtook him. Had Takato not been so caught up in the moment, he may have notice small wisps of gray mist following after him.

…………

(As Seen From Hikari' Perspective)

She didn't know how long she had been crying, but she had stopped some time ago. She stared out into the empty void, looking for some kind of clue that would explain what was going on. Nothing. As far the eye could, there was nothing but this empty void of red gelatinous slime. In a way, it was as surreal as it was mind-numbing.

"Beautiful, isn't it," Taichi's voice said behind her. Hikari spun around, expecting to see her brother finally awoken from his trance. Unfortunately, Taichi still hadn't moved from his fetal-position. However, there was no change in her brother's condition. It baffled her, until her voice said, "Above."

Hikari eyes slowly looked up, atop the orb which entrapped Taichi to find…Taichi. Another Taichi, sitting with his hands folded across his face staring down at her. He wore the same long trench coat as before, with the bandages covering the top of his head, "We meet again, Hikari."

Taichi descended from atop the orb, pulling a hood over his face in time for a pair of horns to rip through the top. A pair of large, leathery wings grew out of his back. His attire turned into a blood red rob that covered his feet. Through the hood, Hikari could see a pair of red eyes staring back at her. At just barely a whisper, she muttered, "Daemon…you were sealed in the Dark Ocean."

"Indeed I was," Daemon agreed, "But I have no time to mince words with you. I have other preparations to attend to. The end will not come about on its own."

"Stop!" Hikari ordered as Daemon ascended to the skies, "What have you done with Taichi?"

Daemon laughed mockingly, "You will see."

A bright glow returned Hikari's attention to her brother, where the symbol of the crest of courage was now visible over the orb which ensnared him. The crest, to Hikari's surprise was now black instead of orange. She tried to make sense of it all, but nothing added up. How did Daemon escape the Dark Ocean, what did he do to Taichi, and why was the Crest of Courage suddenly black?

……………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

When Takato finally arrived at Odaiba, it was to rampant destruction and disorder. The local authorities had already blocked off major roadways and were seen preparing whole teams of SAT (Special Assault Team) to be sent in and fight an enemy they knew nothing about. As he passed, he recognized a familiar blonde haired man in a black suit emerge from the side door of a black van and begin to give orders to the SAT. They saluted him before taking off down the street and into the alleyway. Racing towards the man, he shouted, "Yamaki!"

"Takato?" Yamaki replied, his expression remaining ever calm. Takato stopped to catch his breath, panting out the words, "What's…going…on? I…thought…we…beat…the…D-Reaper."

"I was hoping you could tell me," Yamaki answered quizzically, "The entire department is trying to figure out what's going on, but there's not much they can do with whole communication and electrical networks down. Have you been able to get in contact with the others?"

"No, I can't get a signal on my phone," Takato explained. Yamaki massaged the bridge of his nose and explained, "That figures, well for now, we're going to try and contain the situation until we can restore power to the city."

"GATE OF DESTINY!"

A beam of light shot out from behind one of the buildings, striking the D-Reaper square in what was supposedly the chest. MagnaAngemon appeared from behind one of the building, a glowing violet sword in his right hand, "Excalibur!"

Just as MagnaAngemon was about to connect his attack, a figure appeared from atop the Cable Reaper's head and flung the angelic digimon aside as if it were nothing. From behind this strange figure emerged hundreds of Pendulum Feet, small agents of the D-reaper with scythes for feet. The Pendulum Feet went after the descending MagnaAngemon

"GIGA MISSILE!"

Four missiles flew through the air and exploded amidst the Pendulum Feet, engulfing some in the blast and sending the others scrambling for cover.

"WING BLADE!"

What resembled a phoenix shot out from the same direction as the Giga Missiles, cutting a number of Pendulum Feet in half. A giant Garudamon and MetalGarurumon appeared from the same direction of MagnaAngemon. They easily fought their way through the Pendulum Feet and faced off against the mysterious figure that struck down MagnaAngemon. They faced off in an undeniably remarkable airborne battle, which Takato wanted to watch when Yamaki spoke up, "Takato, get Guilmon and help hold that thing off. I'll coordinate from here."

Takato nodded and continued on his way to his apartment, noting what sounded like gunfire begin to echo in the distance. As he continued down the darkened streets, he noticed the entire ward had been completely abandoned, save for the occasional team of police or SAT rushing down the street towards the D-Reaper. He had no idea if this was because all of Odaiba had been evacuated or everyone was already killed before he got here.

Takato prayed it was the former as he came across the bakery. The lights were darkened, with no signs of life inside. He heard two explosions echo in the distance, scaring him into rushing inside out of fear of being killed. Inside the darkened bakery, he could make out knocked over shelves that scattered bread left and right, the cash register which had been carelessly left open and a tray of freshly baked cookies left on the counter. Takato proceeded upstairs where he found no signs of his parents or his digimon. He retrieved his D-Arc and his cards from his desk, went back outside and began his search for Guilmon.

He activated his D-Arc and waited for the compass to stop spinning as it tried to point him in the direction of his partner. Unsurprisingly, it pointed straight at the D-Reaper. Takato raced in the direction of his partner, stopping only when he came across a barricade of police cars. The police were actively shooting across their make shift barricade with hand guns alongside members of the SAT who fired shorts bursts at waves of oncoming Pendulum Feet. Takato snuck into a nearby alley and watched the small line in silence. One of the SAT spoke into a walkie talkie, "We cannot hold this position! I'm sorry sir, I'm pulling my men back! Come on, fall back to that bakery!"

The SAT and police slowly walked backwards, trying to slow the advance of the Pendulum Feet while they made their way inside his family's bakery. When the wave Pendulum Feet finally past Takato, he took a chance to run straight for the gelatinous D-Reaper. He barely ran a meter before a swarm of Pendulum Feet appeared to kill him. They moved in, swinging their scythes dangerously just in time for Guilmon to appear and shoot a fireball, "Pyrosphere!"

One of the Pendulum Feet disintegrated while the others changed targets for Guilmon. Guilmon instinctively dove out of their path and positioned himself before Takato. Guilmon looked back at his tamer and nodded, signaling Takato. Without hesitation, Takato held up his D-Arc and proclaimed, "Bio-Merge Activate!"

A white light enveloped the two, and Takato felt himself be ripped away from his body. A familiar sensation he experience many times before, as his body and mind joined Guilmon's. The familiar red glow of a bubble swallowed him up whole, allowing him to hear and see everything Guilmon could. When the biomerge was complete, both Takato and Guilmon had been replaced by a tall white knight with red trimmed armor. With a lance in one arm and shield in another, their biomerged self declared their name in unison, "Gallantmon!"

The Pendulum Feet remained unimpressed, charging forward mindlessly to attack the mega. Gallantmon raised his lance and shouted, "Lightning Joust!"

An energy beam shot forward, eliminating all the Pendulum Feet unfortunate enough to be in their way and opening a straight run for Gallantmon to fly straight towards the D-Reaper. Only a new figure blocked his path, the very same one that had defeated MagnaAngemon, and had been fighting MetalGarurumon and Garudamon moments ago.

Now that Takato could see the figure more clearly, he was able to make it out as none other than Hikari. Or a Hikari look alike since a long red cable grew out of his back and extended all the way back to the D-Reaper. Without opening his mouth, he heard Hikari say, "_Such arrogance…I was once just like you and just like them…But I have seen the evolution…I am the evolution…_"

"What have you done with Taichi!?" Gallantmon demanded, raising his lance aggressively. A flash of white blinded Gallantmon, and he felt a sharp blow in his stomach. Hikari, or the D-Reaper Agent, scored a direct blow and sent him flying backwards into the car barricade. Gallantmon tried to climb back up on his feet, only for to kick him back down. For someone so small, Hikari (or this doppelganger) packed some large punch. With a bitter sweet voice, she mused, "_Look through my eyes…_"

KRATHOOM!

BANG!

PING!

FWOOSH!

TINK!

Hikari's doppelganger was cut off by an unexplained barrage of gun fire. It did almost no harm to either Gallantmon or the D-Reaper Agent, but it was certainly enough to send it speeding away into the distance. As Gallantmon rose to his feet, a group of SAT agents approached him cautiously, "Are you Gallantmon?"

"How did you-"

"We have orders to give these to you," the lead SAT agent said, holding out a headset radio. Gallantmon had no idea how to perceive the gesture, much less how he was supposed to wear it but accepted it anyway. Fumbling to place it over his head. The SAT agent then spoke into a walkie talkie, "Package has been delivered, we are moving to our next objective."

The SAT agents disappeared down another alley. Baffled, Takato heard Yamaki's voice talk to him over the headset, "Takato, we've managed to set up a small relay network while the major communications are down. Your headset's battery will last ten, maybe eleven hours tops. An onsite technician is trying to set up a radio tower so we can boost the signal and widen the range. Until then, I need you to stay close so we can keep in contact."

"Okay," the baffled Gallantmon answered. He only understood the last part which meant he would need to stay near Yamaki. Yamaki continued from his end, "Good. Right now, we've set up a small perimeter around Odaiba. SAT and JSDF are lending their support in containing the D-Reaper but I've got a lot of pressure on me to keep this under control. If the perimeter is breached, you can kiss Odaiba good bye. We're still trying to restore power at Hypnos but you can guarantee that once its running, we can run Juggernaut again and send that thing back where it came from. Here's where it gets tricky though. We don't know how long it will take so until then I need you to help fight this thing off as long as possible. Understood?"

"Understood," Gallantmon answered, taking off into the air when he saw a swarm of squid-like D-Reaper agents coming his way. The extended their arms out and shot blasts of red energy at Gallantmon who weaved through the incoming projectiles while he ascended higher into the air.

"Giga Missile!" Another large missile appeared and just barely missed Gallantmon. Gallantmon took his attention away from the D-Reaper Agents to see MetalGarurumon with Sora and Yamato riding on his back. Gallantmon yelled, "Stop! Guys! It's me! Takato!"

"Takato?" Yamato asked stupidly, seemingly unsure of what to make of the turn of events. Gallantmon drifted towards MetalGarurumon and said, "It's a very long story. Where is everyone?"

"We don't know," Yamato explained, "The power's out and so are the phones. TK said he was going to find the others and we haven't heard from him since."

"Didn't MagnaAngemon go with him?" Gallantmon inquired. Yamato shook his head and looked in the direction of the D-Reaper, "No, MagnaAngemon wanted to help us keep that thing at bay. Whatever it is."

"Takato, this is Yamaki, do you copy?" Yamaki's voice said over the headset.

"I copy, what's going on?"

"Who are you talking to?" Sora asked, while Yamaki went on, "There's been a breach in the perimeter. D-Reaper agents are moving across the Rainbow Bridge and are destroying anyone in their path. Get this, they're being led by a human. We've positively IDed him as Yagami Taichi."

"Okay," Gallantmon answered, "Guys, we have a problem. The D-Reaper is about to cross Rainbow Bridge into Tokyo."

"The what?"

"That thing!" Gallantmon pointed at the D-Reaper agent, "Now come on! Before it gets into the city!"

Gallantmon took off at blinding speed, with MetalGarurumon in tow. Rainbow Bridge, the symbolic bridge connecting Odaiba to the mainland, was half in ruins. A small army of Pendulum Feet were marching small across the bridge, flanked on all sides by the squid-like tanks, all ahead of the giant Reaper. In the lead of the formation was Hikari, or her doppelganger, and Taichi causing grief for a small band of SAT doing their best to stall the advance.

"Isn't that Hikari?" Yamato cried out in surprise. Gallantmon ignored them and dove straight down into the middle of the enemy advance and sending them scattering in all directions. Gallantmon raised his shield to fend off the incoming fire from the squid tanks while the Pendulum Feet began circling around.

"Shield of the Just!" Gallantmon roared, firing a blast of energy out of her shield that obliterated the rear of the enemy formation. Gallantmon wheeled around and sliced an advancing Pendulum Feet. Those behind it scattered again, circling around Takato to get an opening on him. Not wanting to stand still long enough to give them the chance, Takato leapt to the air and aimed his joust downward, "Lightning Joust!"

Several pursuing Pendulum Feet were destroyed in the blast, but the remainder avoided it and continued their pursuit. He thought he was in the clear since he could easily outrun the Pendulum Feet, until he heard, "ALPHA DECAY SHOT!"

A blast of energy struck him in the back and furled him into the ground. The remaining Pendulum Feet ceased their chase, opting to circle around Gallantmon and block any chance of escape. Hikari's doppelganger appeared at his side, her arms folded across her chest. She stepped on his chest with her foot, pinning him to the ground. Then another figure appeared: Taichi dressed in a long trench coat. He held both hands out at Gallantmon and hissed, "EVIL INFERNO!"

Black flames shot out of his arms and scorched his armor a shade of gray. Had the D-Reaper made agent replicas of both the Yagamis? If so, what happened to the real Yagami siblings? Weakened from Taichi's attack, he could only watch as Taichi leaned down over him, "_Such a waste. Let me make you…more_!"

Before Gallantmon could ask what he meant, Taichi wrapped his hands around his head and sent a surge of horrifying images flying through his mind. An image of Taichi taking pill after pill. An image of Hikari crying in a corner. An image of Jeri being beaten by her father. He saw scenes of destruction and chaos: a sea of fire ruled by seven monstrous digimon. The D-Reaper consuming the real and digital world. And finally, a little boy with six wings trapped inside a black sphere. He felt spasms of pain overtake him, causing him to twitch uncontrollably. He felt his body begin to move involuntarily, seemingly under the control of another person.

"You are mine, now," a dark voice echoed inside his mind. His body rose to its feet and turned on the SAT members. The men backed away slowly, shooting at him ineffectively. Against his will, Gallantmon raised his lance, "Lightning Joust!"

The SAT soldiers were torn to pieces by the energy beam. With no one left to challenge them, Gallantmon led the D-Reaper across the bridge against his will.

…………

(As Seen From Hikari' Perspective)

"All is as planned," Daemon's voice boomed. Hikari watched as Daemon descended from the red horizon. She rose to her feet and demanded to know, "What do you mean?"

"Your friend is now under my control," Daemon mused happily, "Soon all worlds will be ours, just as it should have been many years ago. Now, all that remains is your brother."

"What are you talking about," Hikari paused, turning towards her brother. Her mouth fell open in awe. His hair was now a golden brown, and six bulges were beginning to form in his back. Taichi remained oblivious to these changes, keeping his gaze on his feet while these changes went on about him. Hikari sank to her knees, ever more despaired by her helplessness in the situation.

…………

**Author's Notes: **Well, another chapter over and done with. I know it was short, but please bare with me for the time being. After all, health care is not a job to be taken lightly. My next update will be in six weeks on Friday, September 25th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	13. Pandora's Box

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Hi everybody. This is leonardo1123581321 here. First, I'd like to apologize for the short length of the chapter since the number of college classes I have has greatly restricted the amount of time I have to work on this. I had to ask a close friend to personally beta this for me because of how late I finished them. Second, I want to say that if you intend to send me a facebook invite, please let me know vis a vis the PM system so I do not mistake you as another person who wants 100+ friends on their blog. Next, I want to thank everyone who left a review, faved/subscribed the story or faved/subscribed me. Now before I respnd to reviews, I would like to point out that I've uploaded a sample of my Resistance Fanfic so go check it out and give it a read. And now, on to review responses:

**Tri-Emperor of The Twilight: **No, it isn't. It never is, not for the digidestined.

**ARCtheElite: **At least he's honest with her and that has to count for something, right? Also, who says its Daemon?

**Chm01: **Only one way to find out my good friend.

**Shikamaru123456789: **That's correct, they are like Jeri and Calumon. Kind of.

**Light-Sakura: **Yes; poor, poor them. Such a damn shame.

**Coppa-Cola: **Again, to find out, you'll just have to read on.

**Umeplumblossom: **No worries. Taichi is my favorite character too, as I ship Taiora. It's cool your in nursing – my major as well. Remember, you really have to commit to health care: you will be overworked, underpaid, unappreciated, and burnout a lot. Trust me, this is a field you have to dedicate yourself to.

**GRX3m0M: **He's not Gallantmon anymore dear.

**Salamder Hanzo: **Thank you.

And now, without further ado, here's the chapter.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 13: Pandora's Box**

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

"Is this the one who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who would not let his prisoners go home?" Daemon murmured to the stagnant Taichi who was still curled into a ball, "Soon, old friend, you shall be free of your prison. Then, we shall take what has always been ours."

Hikari accepted her doom some time ago. She already abandoned any hope of ever getting out of this hell, reserving herself to watching silently as the world went to hell around her. Every second that passed was another second for Taichi to continue his obscure transformation. Not only was his hair now completely blonde, but the six bulges finally tore through the back of his clothes as wings, and a pair of wings began to grow just above his ears. Perhaps most terrifying was that her brother now wore a look of pure malice, his eyes demonstrating every effects of dark intent.

"Tell me, do you know the Angel of the Morning Star?" Daemon asked, directly asking Hikari. Hikari looked at Daemon, with a frown. Her interest was peaked and she hoped Daemon was about to explain the circumstances but Hikari's gut feeling was it would only add to the confusion. Acknowledging her curiosity, she answered, "No."

"It's an old tale," Daemon answered, "The Angel of the Morning Star was once the most powerful angel in all of heaven, one who could crush kingdoms, flatten mountains, dry up oceans, stir up typhoons and bring the heavens crashing down with but a thought. This angel was given a very important charge – one of the most important- until, of course, his downfall. He did something deemed unforgivable even though it was for the greater good and was cast out of heaven for it. His followers, remaining loyal to him, joined in his fate."

"I'm guessing you're the Angel of the Morning Star?" Hikari asked. Daemon's eyes became even angrier, which was saying something given they were the only visible part of his body, "I am but a squirming larvae, compared to the Angel of the Morning Star. As part of his punishment his physical form was destroyed eons ago, weakening him into but a wandering spirit. Thankfully, you're brother was kind enough to host the Angel."

"Taichi…" Hikari murmured, "He would never do that! That's not the Taichi I know!"

"Of course he wouldn't," Daemon answered, "Thankfully, a certain mishap caused by the bearer of Light ensured his comatose body couldn't resist the possession."

"You mean… I did this?" Hikari asked, her jaw dropping, "I couldn't have… it's not!"

"You did," Daemon answered, "It is written: Do not love the world or the things of the world, for they are fading away."

"Liar!" Hikari screamed at him, taking off her shoe and throwing it at him. Daemon moved to the side and leapt to the ground before her. He lifted her off the ground with his bear hands and lowered his hood to reveal his face. Or more accurately, Taichi's face. With Taichi's voice, Daemon scowled, "It is your fault! My own sister… did this to me!"

"You're not Taichi!" Hikari struggled against her captor, kicking and screaming loudly to no effect. Daemon/Taichi scowled even more, "I AM TAICHI! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"NO!" Hikari wailed, breaking down in to tears. She didn't want to believe any of this was her fault. She only wanted to help her brother, not burden him with possession by some evil spirit. Daemon dropped her to ground, where she curled into a ball, "It's not my fault. It can't be…"

Daemon only laughed. He stalked away, "I have other preparations to attend to."

………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

He had absolutely no control of his body. He could only watch as he destroyed teams of SAT and police who tried to stall his advance. They had already crossed the Rainbow Bridge and were traversing mainland Tokyo. Specifically, they were storming north through Shibaura towards Shinjuku, where two giant towers loomed over the city. The same towers that housed Hypnos and their single weapon against the D-Reaper: Juggernaut. Right now, with the entire city without power there was no way for that single defense to work.

"Takato? What the hell do you think you're doing!" Yamaki's voice shouted in his headset. Takato wished he could answer, but his lips were no longer under his control, either. All he did have was his vision and even that was debatable since he had no control over what he was looking at.

Screams of horror filled his ears, as police, SAT and innocent people were killed in the devastating onslaught. Some of the innocents tried to fight back, throwing stones, shoes, garbage, fruit and whatever they could get their hands on. Gallantmon raised his joust in their direction, "Lightning Joust!"

A blast of lightning came out and flew towards the crowd. They scattered, trying to get out of the blast but Takato knew they were doomed. At least until a monstrous, red beetle landed before them and used his shell to block the attack. Takato was perplexed, but instantly recognized the beast as MegaKabuterimon, the Ultimate form of Tentomon.

"Horn Buster!" MegaKabuterimon growled, a bolt of lightning shot out of its giant red horn. Gallantmon raised his shield and was able to defend himself from the attack. The force, though, was still enough to push Gallantmon backwards a full block. In trying to hold his ground, Gallantmon's feet dug into the paved road and over turned several parked cars.

"Vulcan's Hammer!" A second lightning blast zoomed towards him from behind. Gallantmon wasn't able to turn in time to defend, his feet still buried deep in to the ground. That was when Taichi and Hikari's doppelganger appeared and deflected the attack with a flick of a wrist.

Gallantmon dug himself out, watching MegaKabuterimon fall in behind a turtle shelled walrus: Zudomon. Joining the two titans were Garudamon, MetalGarurumon, Magna Angemon, Imperialdramon Figther Mode, Ankylomon, Aquilamon, Gatomon and Agumon. There was also a strange woman with petals extending out of near every orifice in her body among them. She rested herself atop Zudomon's head, enough time for Takato to recognize her as Lilymon.

"Taichi! Hikari! What are you doing!?" TK called, appearing first with the other digidestined in tow, "What is all this?"

"_Leave now! Order your friends to go! You are too late! You are leading yourselves to your deaths_!" Taichi said, using the D-Reaper's voice. TK gritted his teeth and cried, "MagnaAngemon!"

"Excalibur!" the angel digimon said, taking off at full speed for Taichi and Hikari. He raised his purple blade above his head and brought it down upon the two siblings, only to smash into Gallantmon's shield. Gallantmon pushed him back while losing his shield in the process. It disintegrated to pieces, leaving Gallantmon without a shield.

"_You must surrender yourself to us!" _Taichi's voice said in his head. Takato's world became nothing short of pain, as if an electric current ran all the way from his head to his toes. He screamed to no avail, no one would hear him and no one could do anything even if they wanted to. When the pain finally ended, it was to Takato's amazement that he had been forced into Gallantmon Crimson Mode. Only he wasn't red with angel's wings, but black with demon's wings, "Gallantmon! Chaos Mode!"

"_Go!_"

"Crimson Darkness!" Gallantmon said, putting his hand forward. A black sphere appeared that began to suck in everything around it. MagnaAngemon spun Excalibur in a circle, and opened his gate from before, "Gate of Destiny!"

A beam of white light shot out of the gate and into the sphere. The digidestined had grabbed on to their larger partners, who in turn had dug themselves in to the ground. Above the loud roar of the beam and the black sphere, Mimi was able to cry, "What is going on!?"

"It's Crimson Darkness!" MagnaAngemon explained, "It's vortex that sends anything it touches into oblivion! It's a literal black hole!"

"So what is the gate going to do?" Koushiro inquired. MegaKabuterimon, who was beginning to be lifted off the ground, answered, "He's going to try choking it! Stuff the black hole with more than it can chew!"

"Will it work?"

"Good question!" MagnaAngemon answered. Yamato took the initiative to lead the digidestined in this moment and declared, "Everyone! Help out MagnaAngemon and shoot at the black hole!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!"

"Horn Buster!"

"Pepper Breath!"

"Giga Missile!"

"Wing Blade!"

"Positron Laser!"

"Blast Rings!"

The barrage of attacks came at black sphere, which was already beginning to shrink. When the attacks hit it, it popped out of existence, leaving nothing but a small crater sitting in the center of the street.

"Covering fire!" A soldier from the SAT shouted. A flurry of bullets scattered around the Yagami siblings and Takato, who were already fleeing away. Takato looked back before they ascended upwards and saw Yamaki approach the digidestined with a team of SAT. Through the headset he heard, "Who are you kids… digidestined? Then theses are your partners...? Okay, we need your assistance in holding off the D-Reaper… We have a weapon that'll work, we just need more time! Five minutes, tops…! I'll explain later, now go! GO!"

Takato saw the larger digidestined chase after them. With an amused voice, Taichi signaled a small fleet of pendulum feet to surround and stop the digidestined. They certainly did their job, throwing themselves at the ultimates with no regard for themselves. The digidestined were unable to overpower the many Pendulum Feet, practically bringing Takato to tears in his inability to help, to fight the control they had over his body, or to keep things from reaching this point.

"Gargo Missile!"

"Spirit Strike!"

"Justice Burst!"

Takato's heart rose when he saw MegaGargomon, Justimon and Sakuyamon appear. With almost no effort, the three digimon were able to vanquish the majority of the Pendulum feet, leaving the rest to scurry away. The three digimon megas b-lined for Takato, who turned to face them. Unable to speak, Takato silently said to himself, _I'm sorry guys!_

"Judecca Prison!" A black beam shot out of the end of his hand, scattering the three digimon and leveling a building at the end of the street.

"_It is coming! Our time is near!" _The D-Reaper's voice said in Takato's head. He looked ahead, seeing the D-Reaper already approaching the giant Shinjuku towers. Explosions could be seen in the distance, accompanied by the sounds of screaming, gunfire, and sirens. Takato despaired with a single thought, _this is a losing battle._

…………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

"It is coming! Our time is near!" Daemon said, his gaze turning upward.

"What?" Hikari's response came, in more of a statement than a question. Daemon laughed, "Time will answer your question my dear."

A black sphere opened up in the sky, vacuuming everything in reach towards it. Slowly, an image began to appear inside the sphere: an image of Shinjuku towers. There was a bright pillar light rising into the sky from between the two buildings, connecting with the black sphere. Then, another image began to appear. An image of the Dark Ocean, where four figures waited patiently at the base of the dark light house: a red crocodile, a sleeping black teddy bear with angel's wings, a leather clad blonde in a purple mask, and a beautiful woman in a traditional black/purple kimono.

"Who are they?" Hikari sat up, a sense of dread growing inside her.

"They are Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust," Daemon answered, "Now is the time. SkullSatamon! LadyDevimon!"

The two appeared at Daemon's beckoning. LadyDevimon took hold of Hikari and SkullSatamon grabbed Taichi. Together, the three evil digimon ascended towards the black sphere, "Our arrival has already been heralded by conquest, war, famine and now death!"

"No…!" Was all Hikari could manage to say, as they came closer to the sphere.

…………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

The reapers agents found themselves being sucked into the Juggernaut's bright light, reverting them to their harmless state. Hikari's doppelganger was ripped of its Hikari guise, revealing its true form as a blue humanoid with a monstrous face. It was sucked into the sphere with the other agents, while Taichi merely stood with his arms folded across his chest.

Below, Takato could see the digidestined and their digimon already trying to hold on to the ground below to keep themselves from being sucked into the weapon's pillar of light. Takato wanted to help them, but still had no control over his body.

"We have no further need for you," Taichi said, snapping his fingers. Takato felt himself fall downwards, having regained control of his body. Gallantmon Crimson Mode returned into Gallantmon, just as Takato continued to descend faster. With a lot of effort, Takato was able to balance himself in the air. He took off after Taichi, only to hit an invisible barrier that struck him like a bolt of lightning.

"Wretched knight! Be gone!" Taichi said, "Crimson Flame!"

Red fire engulfed Gallantmon, sending him plummeting towards the ground again like a flash of lightning. Just before Takato blacked out, he saw Taichi transform into an old man with long white hair, a black robe, and staff with a skull embedded at the head. The ground shook when Gallantmon landed, producing a small crater. As Takato's world began to fade in to darkness, he could see an angel and Hikari staring down at him. And then nothing…

Just darkness…

Cold, cold darkness…

He was dead…

………

"Ta-to! Ta-ka! Ta-K-o! TAKATO!" he heard Jeri's voice scream, almost in tears. His head was being cradled between two arms, and it rested on something soft and warm. Hot tears were falling on his face, causing him to shake his head free of the tears. He knew it was Jeri's voice, he would never forget the sound of her lovely voice. Her lovely, loving voice. Why was she sad? He hated it when she was sad. He raised his hand out to touch her face, brushing the tears from her eyes, "Jeri, ple… please do… don't cry."

"Takato!" Jeri almost gasped. Takato opened his eyes to see her surprised, happy expression. His head pounded violently, making virtually everything he did hurt. Jeri quickly pulled him into a hug and wailed, "You're alive! Takato! You're alive!"

"What happened?" Takato murmured, rubbing his head to ease the pain while trying to stand himself up.

"Jeri! Get away from him," Sakuyamon's voice commanded. Takato's eyes widened when he realized the digidestined, Sakuyamon, Mega Gargomon and Justimon had surrounded him and Jeri. As if to add insult to injury, several SAT and Yamaki were among them. Yamaki had folded up the sleeves of his business shirt, removed his coat in favor of a tactical vest, and was aiming a gun at Takato, "Hands up Takato. You too, Guilmon!"

Guilmon growled angrily, his pupils shrinking to the size of a grain of sand. Takato panicked; he knew why they were acting this way and was daunted by the fact that he wouldn't be able to convince them it was all a misunderstanding. Still, he had to try, right? With hastened breath, he spat out, "Wait! It wasn't what you thought! I—"

"Hands up or we'll shoot!" Yamaki ordered again, cocking the pistol. Again, Takato tried to explain, "I didn't do any of it! It was—"

BANG

Takato froze, hearing the bullet go right past his face. Yamaki fired a single warning shot, "This is your last warning! Hands up!"

"I didn—"

"He's telling the truth!" Jeri asserted, getting up and putting her arms up as a human shield. Takato was baffled. Why would she protect him after he admitted to having taken another girl out on a date? Guilmon did the same, this time standing before Jeri and growling even louder.

"Jeri, did you see what he did!" MetalGargomon reasoned, "He's one of _them_!"

"No, he isn't!" Jeri answered. Stunned, Takato could only manage the words, "Jeri… "

"I'm sorry, Takato," Jeri said to him, "I shouldn't have hit you. You were being honest. Stupid, but honest."

Takato had no idea if that was an insult or a compliment. He gaped in surprise at Jeri's caring. She went on to say, "You were honest with me last time, even if I didn't like the truth. Why would you start lying now?"

"Jeri—"

Takato couldn't believe he ever wanted to betray his love for her. He loved her; he should never have betrayed that.

"But," Jeri added, "I can't forgive you for deciding to date her. I'm sorry Takato, but I don't think we can be…anymore…"

"I'm…I'm sorry," was all Takato could manage, only for Jeri to shake her head, "No, please don't Takato. Whatever we had is over."

"Sir, we've tracked the targets back to Odaiba!" an SAT said, appearing behind Yamaki, "They have two hostages: one we've identified as Yagami Hikari and the other is unknown boy."

"Is a rescue possible?"

"No sir. We can't get any snipers close enough and most teams can't breach the perimeter around the ward. What are your orders?"

"Tell your men to stand down," Yamaki said, "Okay, Henry, Ryu, go create a diversion for Rika so she can get in and get out quick."

"What about Takato?" Sakuyamon asked. Yamaki jumped down in to the crater, still keeping his grip on his gun, "Takato, you're under federal arrest."

"What…Yamaki, you have to listen! It wasn't Takato's fault!s" Jeri pleaded. Yamaki pushed her aside and went down to reach Takato, but pulled away when Guilmon came to bite him. Opening his mouth, Guilmon growled, "Pyrosphere!"

"Guilmon, what are you doing?" Takato asked. Yamaki was reeling back, while Guilmon slid Takato on his back and took off at blinding speed.

"Take him down!" Yamaki shouted, just as a series of gunshots echoed. Takato clung close to Guilmon, worried that one of the bullets would take him down. Guilmon dashed out of the crater, landing atop MetalGarurumon's back and racing down into a nearby alley. Metal Garurumon spun around to grab him, but was too big to fit into the narrow alley. This did little to prevent Gatomon, MagnaAngemon or Lilymon from giving chase.

"Guilmon, where are we going?" Takato asked, as the red dinosaur sped down the nearest alley. Guilmon looked back, making sure to knock over anything that would help slow the three pursuers down. The little dinosaur answered, "To rescue Hikari!"

"Hikari?"

"You love her, right?" Guilmon answered. Takato was bewildered for a moment. He no longer had any chances with Jeri, despite everything she had done for him just moments ago. He sighed, still uncertain of his emotions for Hikari, and answered, "Yeah."

"Then you know what to do!"

"Digimodify!" Takato said, swiping two cards through his D-Arc, "Aero Wings Activate! Speed Boost Activate!"

Takato tightened his hold on Guilmon just as the dinosaur took off into the air at blinding speed. His sole direction was Odaiba, towards a red sphere guarded by a SkullSatamon and a LadyDevimon. The two saw Takato approaching, and began their attack.

"Darkness Wave!"

"Bone Blaster!"

Guilmon weaved through the attacks, dodging left and right out of their attacks. Takato raised his D-Arc in the air and cried out, "Bio-Merge Activate!"

Takato and Guilmon's bodies molded together back into the almight Gallantmon. SkullSatamon jumped backwards, "Daemon said nothing about the Royal Knights! Lady Devimon!"

"I know," she said, "Don't let them get the girl! DARKNESS WAVE!"

"Lightning Joust!" Gallantmon said, shooting at Lady Devimon and missing. She retaliated with her own attack, "Darkness Wave!"

"Bone Blaster!"

Gallantmon raised his shield to block the attacks, feeling the brunt force push him backwards. Once he was certain they were done, he countered, "Shield of the Just!"

There was a loud scream, and Gallantmon lowered his shield in time to see Skull Satamon dissipate into a cloud of red data. Behind him, Lady Devimon retreated towards the red sphere containing Hikari. Resting beside it was another sphere containing a blonde boy with protruding white wings growing from his back. Lady Devimon stopped short of them and pleaded, "Lord Lucemon! Awaken!"

The red sphere surrounding the blonde haired boy shattered like glass. The boy's wings spread open, allowing him to take flight as he stretched out his body. He glanced in the direction of Lady Devimon and winced, "Cursed Angel."

Lady Devimon bowed her head to him, "Lord Lucemon! One of the Royal Knight has come!"

"Silence!" the boy replied, grabbing Lady Devimon by the head with a terrifying tone, "What do you expect me to do? You awoke me before I was at full strength!"

"My lord…I…"

"I am no lord!" Lucemon snapped, deleting Lady Devimon into a cloud of data that he quickly absorbed. He then absorbed Skull Satamon's data and turned to face Gallantmon, "I suppose you think you can stand before me? Gather the whole order if you wish, it won't help you!"

"Let Hikari go!" Gallantmon demanded, pointing his joust at Lucemon. The boy merely laughed, "You want her? Catch her!"

The sphere holding Hikari vanished, and she plummeted to the ground. Gallantmon forgot all about Lucemon and dove downwards after her, "HIKARI!"

He undid the Bio-Merge, reverting back into Takato and Guilmon. He reswiped the Aero-Wind and Speed Boost cards, speeding up Guilmon and gaining ground on Hikari. She let out a scream, stretching her hand out to Takato. Takato stretched out to grab her, just as Guilmon finally managed to level off with her. Their hands remained stretched out to one another, each trying to grasp onto the other's. The ground was coming in close; they already passed the top floors of the taller buildings.

Takato was able to reach her fingers, grabbing hold and using it to pull her in close. Hikari wrapped her arms around his neck and Takato wrapped his arms around her body. He pulled her over Guilmon's back, and the digimon pulled up.

Hikari buried her face into Takato's chest, as Guilmon took off in to the air. Although she spoke at just barely a whisper, Takato could still hear, "It's my fault. It's all my fault. I did this to him!"

"Hikari," Takato hugged her, "It's okay, you're safe now!"

"Takato," she whimpered, "Taichi…they…"

"It's okay Hikari," Takato said comfortingly, "It'll be okay."

"No…it won't," she replied, "They possessed Taichi."

"What?"

"Hikari!" Gatomon's voice said. She rested on MagnaAngemon's back, with the other digimon and their partners in tow. Gatomon leapt off of MagnaAngemon's back and into Hikari's arms, "Don't scare me like that ever again!"

"I'm…sorry, Gatomon," she replied.

"Sir Gallantmon," MagnaAngemon replied, "Viral Knight of Dragons."

"Why does everyone keep calling me a knight?" Takato asked, only to be ignored by Magna Angemon, "We must move quickly. The Seven Demon Lords have escaped into the Real World. If we don't stop them soon, then we risk the destruction of all worlds!"

"What?" Takato asked in awe. In the distance, the sun could be seen breaking the horizon. It was being blocked by dark storm clouds that were brewing up lightning. A sound of thunder echoed just as the rising sun disappeared behind the clouds.

…………

**Author's Notes: **Well, another chapter over and done with. NIU is killing me over here, but se la vie. My next update will be in six weeks on Friday, November 6th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network. Don't forget to check out my Resistance Sample. Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	14. Beelzebumon Vs Beelzebumon

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Hi Everybody! I'd like to thank you for taking the time to come out here and read another chapter of this fanfiction. I know it's a little late in the evening but I've been having computer problems lately and had to borrow several friends' computers and use public terminals (libraries and such) just to write this story. When coupled with my already busy education time, this make for very little time. To be honest, I didn't even get a chance to proof read this time because of how little chance I had to work on it. I finished the chapter just now, actually, so apologies for any and all errors (continuity or otherwise) you might and proably will catch. In a related note, Creeping Shadow contacted me to inform me of fault on his doctor's part, making him perfectly healthy. To him, I say, good on you mate and it's glad to hear your better. Now, on to review responses:

**GRX3m0m: **Yes, despite what I've said in earlier chapters, I think I've pretty much figured out where this story will go and how it will end. And it's all thanks to the Demon Lords.

**Tri-Emperor of the Twilight: **You have no idea

**Xeiden: **The title pretty much gives it away, doesn't it?

**StarOwner: **Yes, yes he can.

**Light-Sakura:** I debated about that for some time and decided against it. It was simply too hard to write a Digimon mythos to incorporate all the etymology of the other series without going too far out there. So, no, only two other Knights will appear and that is it.

**Zaku-118: **Like I told Light-Sakura, no. It was simply too hard to incorporate all of the digimon stories into a single mythos without losing focus or keeping myself from going insane. It was easier simply to cap the story at what I have.

**Salamander Hanzo: **Domo Arigatou, Salamander Hanzou

**Lord Zero X: **Again, the title really gives it away, doesn't it?

**The-Ice-Cold-Alchemist: **Nope, in fact the anime lost me after Ed ended up in Germany. I don't know or care how it happened, I simply lost interest after that. Specifically though, each of these is considered a deadly sin in Christian belief.

**Poke-Digifan123-awesomeJ: **Can and will

**Anitoon3: **Where have I heard your name before? I think it was a song, or maybe even a breakfast cereal. Heck, I dunno. Anyway TakaHika and PataGato FTW

Anyway, I've stalled long enough so here's the next chapter of Takato's Light:

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 14: Beelzemon Vs Beelzemon**

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Not a word was said as a small fleet of black helicopters transported both Destined and Tamer to the Shinjuku towers, home of both the Juggernaut and Hypnos. The silence was maintained as the group followed Yamaki inside to a large, darkened room lit only by two women seated back to back on chairs suspended in midair. The ceiling of the room, a large vaulted arc, was illuminated by hundreds of giant screens that were broadcasting the same map of Tokyo in unison. The map zoomed away from Tokyo, to a large map of the world where seven red dots could be seen scattering in different directions: one south, two to the southeast, two to the southwest, one northeast and one northwest.

Both the Tamers and the Digidestined distanced themselves from Takato, except for Hikari as the were hand in hand. Or more accurately, Hikari was squeezing Takato's hand and showed no signs of letting go. Guilmon remained beside them, along with Gatomon albeit somewhat distantly. Escorting Takato were four Hypnos agents, each in attire similar to Yamaki's save for the body armor and their automatic weapons.

"We're tracing the targets now," one of the woman said.

"Their speed is incredible," the other commented, "They're too fast for any of our fighters to intercept them."

"Do we at least know where they're going?"

"No sir," the first woman replied, "All we do know is they want to get there fast."

"Have they been able to pull up any information on what happened?" Yamaki demanded. Again the woman replied, "No sir. They're working on several theories but no one knows for sure. But they were able to identify them."

"Show me."

Seven of the screens stopped projecting a map of the Earth, replaced by seven pictures of digimon. In order, they were labeled: Lucemon, Daemon, Belphemon (Rage Mode), Lilithmon, Leviamon, Beelzebumon, and Barbamon. The woman went on to explain, "We cross referenced the names they gave us, hoping to find some real world counterpart like with the Divas and the Zodiac."

"And?"

"These names kept coming back as top hits: Lucifer, Satan, Belphegor, Lilith, Leviathon, Beelzebub and Mammon."

"Demons?" Yamaki asked. To the side Koushiro could be seen retrieving his yellow laptop from his bag and borrowing Miyako's D3 and D-Terminal.

"In a way," she replied, "All these names kept coming back from texts in the Torah, Quran, Bible and several other Mesopotamian texts. But there was one more hit that kept popping up you might want to see."

"Is it relevant?"

"Look for yourself."

An eight screen appeared, listing the eight result: Armageddon.

"Is that a joke?" Yamaki said, his voice shaking but still holding its authority

"No, but we think it's a hint about where they're going," the woman replied, "Armageddon translates to the Mountain of Megiddo. We've locked the coordinates here 32, 35 North and 35, 11 East."

"So what, we're at the end of the world?" Yamaki said dismissively.

"_Gallantmon_"

Takato perked his head up. Another disembodied voice was resounding in his head, but he didn't recognize this one. He shook it off, focusing instead on the exposition before him. Yamaki was pacing back and forth on his cell phone, "Look, I'm sorry sir! We did everything in our…it was your policy that cut our budget in half, what was I-fine."

Yamaki shut his cell phone and threw it across the room, cursing under his breath and running a hand through his hair. He removed his black shades and turned to the Tamers/Destined, "That was the Prime Minister. He's organizing a relief and clean up effort of what's left of Tokyo. He and the entire Diet are planning to throw the blame on Hypnos for not containing this matter. Apparently, we've already gotten international attention: The United States, China, the European Union. They're all asking questions, and we don't have any answers to give."

"_Sir Gallantmon._"

"Hey guys, take a look at this," Koushiro said to the other destined, "I just looked up the names of those digimon on the Digimon Database Gennai gave me. None of them are listed."

"What do you think it means?"

"I think it means they're like Diaboromon," Koushiro pointed out, "They were made by a programmer outside the Digital World."

"But the only person we know who could have programmed it is Willis," Daisuke pointed out, "And after what happened with Cocomon, I don't think he's going to program another one."

"So this means its someone who knows about the Digital World and isn't a Digidestined," Mimi added. Yamato chimed in his opinion, "But who knows about the Digital World besides us?"

Takato immediately remembered Shibumi and wondered if he was somehow related to this. Shibumi was the genius that not only developed the blue and red card but also wrote the program that stopped the D-Reaper. Perhaps he could write a program that could stop these seven digimon.

"_GALLANTMON!"_

Takato felt himself pulled away from his body, to a large white room in the shape of a giant circle. The sound of arguing filled his ears, forcing him to cover his ears from the deafening noise. It was not enough, as sheer volume was still enough to bring Takato to his knees.

"ORDER!" a voice boomed, silencing all the others, "The Royal Knights have arrived."

Takato uncovered his ears and looked around him. With him were a confused Guilmon and Gatomon, a startled Hikari and Suzie, a panicking Daisuke, Takeru, and Yamato, and the digimon Veemon, Patamon, Lopmon, Agumon and Gabumon who were bowing respectfully to their audience: A large gathering of high leveled digimon that Takato thought he would never see.

The four sovereigns were present: Ebonwumon, Zhuqiaomon, Azulongmon, and Baihumon. Also there were twelve Megas, of which Takato could name six: Apollomon, Merukimon, Dianamon, Marsmon, Neptunmon and Minervamon. He could not, however, identify the other six. However, they were many more digimon, including Angemon, Magnadramon, Angewomon, MagnaAngemon, MarineAngemon, Piddomon and many more. Much to his surprise, also present were the Devas Mihiramon, Sandiramon, Sinduramon, Pajiramon, Vajramon, Indramon, Kumbhiramon, Vikaralamon, Makuramon, Majiramon, Caturamon, and Antylamon. There were many more, but Takato was unable to identify any of them. Hovering above all of these digimon were two others, a large golden dragon that flew in circles and what appeared to be a red Omnimon without a cape.

Descending towards them was a MagnaAngemon, whose armor was colored white instead of purple and was draped in white armor. He stopped just shy of the digidestined and their partners, "Greetings, Royal Knights."

"Royal what?" Daisuke asked aloud with sarcasm, earning him a smack from Veemon, "Daisuke show some respect! That's Lord HolyAngemon you're talking to!"

"That's quite alright, Veemon," Lord HolyAngemon answered, "As he said, I am Lord HolyAngemon – Acting Liaison between the Holy Digimon and the Chosen Children. I had you brought here for a reason; but before I continue, allow me to awaken the Celestial trinity and the Royal Knights."

Lord HolyAngemon spread his arms and wings outward, emitting a blinding light from his body. The light broke into several pieces and each hit one of the digimon partners.

"Gatomon! Warpdigivolve to! Ophanimon!"

"Patamon! Warpdigivolve to! Seraphimon!"

"Lopmon! Warpdigivolbe to! Cherubimon!"

"Veemon! Golden Armor digivolve to! Magnamon!"

"Agumon! Gabumon! DNA Warpdigivolve to! Omnimon!"

"Biomerge Activate! Gallantmon!"

The light faded away, revealing to Takato that he had biomerged with Guilmon without initiating it. Although how it happened was beyond him. Daisuke was ecstatic to see Magnamon for what apparently was the third time. Suzie shared his sentiments because of Lopmon's sudden digivolution to Cherubimon. Takeru, HIkari, and Yamato didn't seem remotely surprised by their digimons' sudden transformation however.

"There," Lord HolyAngemon said, bending down onto one knee and crossing an arm over his chet, "My lord and ladies, it is a pleasure to serve you all once more."

"Seraphimon, do you know what he's talking about?" Takeru asked his partner. Lord HolyAngemon rose to his feet, "Please, allow me to explain: Your digimon were each endowed with the spirit of one of the three Celestial Digimon: the three highest order of angel digimon. In order, they're strength is ranked Ophanimon, Cherubimon and Seraphimon – the strongest of the three."

"Be that as it may, none of us are a match for Lucemon," Seraphimon chimed in, his voice resounding with a powerful echo which shook the room. There was a murmur of agreement among the many digimon in the room, broken only by Lord HolyAngemon who questioned, "But Lord Seraphimon. Even if we are no match for Lucemon, are we to stand idly by while Lucemon brings an end to all things?"

"What was written shall come to be," Seraphimon replied, "It is our duty to serve the will of the creator of the Digital World, regardless of our own desires."

"So we cannot stop it?"

"What was written will come to be."

"My lord-"

"Hold on, what exactly can't be stopped?" Yamato inserted himself before them, his arms folded across his chest. Lord HolyAngemon and Seraphimon exchanged looks for a moment, before the three celestial digimon ascended upwards. Lord HolyAngemon frowned and continued, "The Digital Hazard, what you humans refer to as the End of Days."

"You mean the End of the world?" Yamato questioned. Everyone knew the question was rhetorical, so nobody dared answer save for Lord HolyAngemon, "Yes and No. As Lord Seraphimon said it is written: when the digital world becomes too full, it protects itself by saving a select few digimon while wiping out everything else."

"That's terrible," Takeru commented, to which Seraphimon replied, "That is the only way the Digital World can continue to survive. It has become increasingly efficient at its duty."

"But this time, there's more at stake than just the Digital World, Lord Seraphimon!" an Angemon replied, "Lucemon knows this! That's why he's taking advantage of-"

"Lucemon is a mere victim of the creator's will," Seraphimon pointed out, "He can do no more than fulfill the creator's desire."

"Fool!"

"Arrogant Angel!"

"Pompous!"

A roar of arguments erupted among all the digimon present, an argument that showed signs of becoming violent. Death threats began to be hurled in all directions, with specific targeting of the Celestial Three. In that moment, HIkari regained herself and screamed, "SHUT UP!"

Silence. All eyes were on Hikari, whose voice stunned even the most powerful megas. Stepping forward, she demanded, "I think we're owed a better explanation. Who is Lucemon, what is he taking advantage of and what is his goal?"

Ophanimon, Seraphimon and Cherubimon exchanged expression, before descending down to the level of the Digidestined. Cherubimon spoke first, saying, "Very well. After the creation of the Digital World, the creator began to assign duties to the Ancient Digimon. The Royal Knights were assigned the duty of enforcing the creator's will, the angel digimon were assigned to serve the creator. The sovereigns were instructed to govern the four corners of the Digital World, the Devas were instructed to serve the Sovereigns, and so on. The Celestial Three were given the specific duty of overseeing all of these duties but above them was another digimon. One whose authority exceeded ours: The Angel of the Morning Star, Lucemon. His duty was to enforce the order and peace of the Digital World in the creator's name."

"But he did something that couldn't be forgiven," HIkari added. Ophanimon was the next to speak, "Lucemon became corrupted by his own charge. Convinced his own might outmatched the creator's, Lucemon led a rebellion to claim the throne as sole sovereign of the Digital World. His followers were Seraphimon the first, Ophanimon the first, Cherubimon the first, a Sorcerymon, a MetalSeadramon, and Lord HolyAngemon the first. Among Lucemon's army were hundreds of Angemon, Angewomon, MarineAngemon, and many others who turned on the creator. It was the Digital World's first true cataclysmic battle against good and evil."

"The creator," Seraphimon continued the story, "Defeated Lucemon and his army, imprisoning them in the Dark Worldds. Their time there twisted their minds and bodies, fueling their hatred towards the creator – which is the origin of the Devimon, Deviwomon, Satamon, SkullSatamon and all the other evil digimon to have ever existed."

"What happened to Lucemon?" Daisuke asked. Lord HolyAngemon provided the answer with a grim tone, "Lucemon and his six closest followers suffered punishments worse than death. Lord Seraphimon the first was stripped of all his power and was locked away in a void where he would be constantly deleted over and over again – eventually turning him into Daemon. Lady Ophanimon the first was cast naked into a world where she would fulfill the adulterous lust of insatiable monstrosities, turning her in to Lilithmon. Lord Cherubimon the first was reverted into his rookie form and cast into a deep sleep where he would suffer an eternal nightmare, and he became Belphemon. Lord HolyAngemon the first was forced to fulfill an insatiable desire for power, pursuing it in an existence where he and only he existed; thus he became Beelzemon. Sorcerymon was trapped in a world of illusions, where nothing is real yet all is – twisting him into what is now called Barbamon. Metal Seadramon was locked in a desolate world with no water, unable to die because of his strength but unable to thrive – turning him into Leviamon. Lord Lucemon suffered the worst fate of them all. His body was destroyed, but his mind and spirit were imprisoned in a perpetual present; forced to watch the world he coveted so much as time went by while being unable to do anything. Each punishment was assigned according to their misdeeds."

"Wrath, Lust, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Envy and Pride," Hikari recited to no one in particular. Lord HolyAngemon nodded, "Correct."

"So then why take it out on the Real World?"

"That is still something we don't fully understand," Lord HolyAngemon replied sheepishly, "In fact, a lot of Lucemon's actions simply couldn't be possible; such as his possession of the child of courage, to his ability to escape his punishment and freeing his followers. The only reasonable conclusion is Lucemon is simply more powerful than originally imagined."

"And you guys knew about this the whole time?" Takeru asked the three celestial digimon; a reasonable question given the three were each had a human partner. They each nodded in affirment but showed no sympathy to the situation, simply replying, "This was all preordained by the creator; as it is written, so it shall be."

"But the creator isn't all powerful," Takato thought out loud with little discretion, "They're a team of computer programmers who were working on a project in college. The Digital World was created almost by accident."

"Well, yes and no," Lord HolyAngemon answered uneasily, despite having completely contradicted Takato, "As you may already know: The Digital World and the human world run parallel with various other worlds. Well, in that instance, there exist hundreds of other worlds: each running parallel with one another. Naturally, this would mean there is more than one Earth and more than one Digital World."

"You mean like a multiverse?" Hikari inquired. This time Azulongmon spoke, "Yes. Perhaps you recall Blackwargreymon's rampage to destroy the Destiny Stones. While he was prevented from destroying the universe, he upset the natural balance just enough to trigger a series of events cumulating to this very moment."

"And what is that?"

"We don't know, but we do know what it will lead to," Azulongmon paused for a moment, a scant hesitation as if he feared to answer the question. After the moment passed, he merely said, "Infinite Singularity."

"The eventual collision of all worlds, universes and dimensions into a single entity," Ophanimon explained, "Imagine trying to smash millions of snow globes together into a single snow globe. Now imagine the snowglobe is actually our universe; The many parallel instances were simple not meant to meet and doing so would create a paradox that would unravel the fabrice of reality.."

"But why would Lucemon want to do that?" Daisuke question skeptically, "Trying to rule the world makes sense, but destroying everything?"

"We believe he is doing so in order to recreate the universe as he sees fit," Azulongmon finished, "To recreate all of existence in his image."

"So why don't you stop it?" hikari demanded, to which Seraphimon answered, "What is written will come to be."

"What?"

"He means that it is beyond their ability to do anything," Lord Holy Angemon explained, "It is their duty to serve the creator and solely the creator. Even if they wanted to intervene, nothing will prevent the creator's will from being fulfilled."

"How many times do I have to say this? The creator was a bunch of college kids who were computer programmers," Takato said again. Lord HolyAngemon replied, "Yes and no. Remember they created _a_ Digital World purely by chance. But they did not create _the _Digital World. Our time is up, it seems the multiverse is returning you to your own world. I implore you: stop Lucemon; Sir Gallantmon. Only you can stop him-"

There was another bright flash, followed by a strong backwards pull. Everythig before him vanished into the distance as the world around him sank into darkness. And then, he was back in Hypnos with everyone else. Hikari was still beside him, a look of bewilderment on her face. She looked at Takato, a glazed look on her eyes before asking, "Were we just somewhere else?"

"I think so," Takato replied, unsure of what just happened himself. The multiverse? Singularity? Digital Hazard? It seemed like they were trying to shorten a lengthy explanation, yet only managed to make it more confusing. He tried to replay the events in his head, but a lot of it happened too quickly for any of it to sink in.

"Yamaki! We've got a fix on one of them…it's in Shinjuku," one of the women called, "It's…wait…there's two of them and they're…fighting each other?"

"Can we get satellite imaging?"

"Bringing it up now."

One of the screens transformed into a giant overhead of the city and zoomed in just enough to see two blurs race across the screen. The camera tried to keep pace, but the blurs were consistently changing direction and kept an uneven pace. Clicking his tongue in anger, Yamaki ordered, "Get a containment team there to isolate the incident and have the Juggernaut ready on standby."

"Yes sir."

Beep! Beep!

Every cell phone belonging to a Tamer went off at the same time and everyone, Takato included, answered the phone to the following message: NEED HELP! IMPMON DIGIVIVOLVED TO FIGHT ANOTHER DIGIMON! –AI

Takato closed his phone and looked at Guilmon. Guilmon pupil's had already shrank in size and he was growling angrily at no particular direction. He suddenly dashed out the door and disappeared before either guards or Takato could stop him. The two guards chased after him, guns firing at the red dinosaur who refused to sit still for even a moment. Without much thought, Takato took the chance to push the third guard in to the fourth guard, grab Hikari's hand and ran down the hall after his digimon partner.

"Pyrosphere!" Guilmon shot back a fireball at the two guards, diverting their attention just long enough for Takato and Hikari to rush past them. Once they had caught up with Guilmon, he shot back a fire ball to stall the guards again. They ran into the staircase, climbing several hundred flights of steps up to the roof, "Takato, where are we going?"

"Beelzemon!"

"What?"

"I think Impmon digivolved into Beelzemon to fight Beelzemon," Takato answered. HIkari's perplexed appearance told him enough; what he just said made no sense. Whatever the case, Takato had to help Beelzemon if he was going to defeat Beelzemon. He also wished that didn't sound so weird, especially in his head.

When they finally got to the roof top, they found the same helicopter that transported them there and the two pilots with their weapons at the ready. Acting quickly, Takato held up his D-Arc, "Bio-Merge Activate!"

For what was the fourth time in the last 24 hours, Takato felt himself pulled into his Digimon partner and becoming Gallantmon. Or Sir Gallantmon, according to Lord HolyAngemon. Takato pointed his joust at the two guards and ordered, "Stand Aside!"

They refused, and began shooting at both him and Hikari. Gallantmon raised his shield and used it to protect HIkari while taking the brunt of their gunfire. Of course, granted this didn't mean much to the Mega Level digimon. Gallantmon took Hikari up onto his shoulder and leapt into the air, "Hang on HIkari!"

"Double Impact!"

"Heartbreak Shot!"

Two random blasts of energy barely missed Gallantmon. Two Beelzemon appeare in their wake, both with black wings but only one had a large gun for an arm. Each was dealing the other crushing blows but neither seemed fazed by the other's endeavor. Amidst their fighting, the Beelzemon with gun for an arm pointed it straight at the other Beelzemon and growled, "CORONA BLASTER!"

Two blasts shot out, one hitting its mark while the other missed. The other Beelzemon fell from the sky while the other dove down to finish his opponent off. Gallantmon was perplexed, unsure which was the friend and which the foe. Whichever the case, one of those two was Impmon and he refused to let either be deleted until he was certain whom was whom. Gallantmon immediately cradled HIkari and threw himself in between the two feuding Beelzemon.

The attacking Beelzemon recoiled his attack while the other continued to fall towards the ground with a loud, bone-shattering crack. Gallantmon adjusted his position so that he would land to the side of the defeated Beelzemon, while the other Beelzemon landed opposite him. Gallantmon set Hikari down and raised his lance against the standing Beelzemon, "Which Beelzemon are you?"

His answer came in the form of a shotgun blast in the chest, followed by a swift punch that unsteadied him. Takato shook it off and swung his lance, missing his opponent before being thrown to the side with a kick. Gallantmon struggled back onto his feet and pointed his lance at Beelzemon, "Lightning Joust!"

"Corona Destroyer!"

Two blasts of energy shot out from opposing directions and collided on impact, resulting in an explosion that sent the two combatants in opposite directions. Gallantmon was sent into the rubble of a nearby convenienve store. He had no idea where Beelzemon was but caught a glimpse of him straggling onto his feet through the smoke. Taking advantage of the disorienting smoke, Gallantmon took aim at the Beelzemon and prepared to attack. The smoke cleared for just a second, long enough for Beelzemon to catch a glimpse of Gallantmon. During that brief glimpse, Beelzemon threw his hands into the air and pleaded, "Don't shoot! It's me!"

Gallantmon hesitated in that instant, unsure whether or not to believe this Beelzemon.

……………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

"Double Shot!"

Two blasts shot out of the thick smoke, dissipating it just enough for Hikari to see Takato, or Gallantmon, and two Beelzemon pointing their guns at each other. Gallantmon was frozen in his place, shifting his aim from one Beelzemon to the next, "Which of you is it!?"

"It's me! I'm the one on your side!"

"Don't listen to him! He's a liar!"

"No, he is! He's the fake!"

Gallantmon took a step forward and smashed his lance into the ground, "Enough! If you are the real Beelzemon, then who are your partners names?"

"Ai and Mako!" They answered simultaneously. The two Beelzemon exchanged glances and once again simultaneously said, "How did you know that?"

"Which one-" Gallantmon trailed off, dispirited by the turn of events. Hikari had a vague idea about what was going on, but had absolutely no way of helping and felt completely useless because of it. It was then that the two Beelzemon wrapped arms around the other, a fiery look in their eyes. Gallantmon rushed forward and tried to separate the two raging digimon to no avail. They were both caught in their own rage, hoping to the throttle the other to death. Unfortunately, Gallantmon didn't know to help.

"What are you waiting for? I've got him busy! Finish him!"

"Don't listen to him! He's the one you need to destroy."

Gallanmon hesitated, turning to Hikari with a needy gaze. Hikari wasn't sure what she could do, if anything at all. That was when a pink glow appeared before Hikari's chest, a bright and unsettling light that filled her with warmth. The two Beelzemon were enraptured by it, one in awestruck amazement and the other in paralyzed fear.

"What is that?"

"No! The light!"

An amazing bright flash followed, illuminating the two Beelzemon for a moment. Only a moment, but it was enough for Gallantmon to see their true identities. In that moment, one Beelzemon temporarily bore a strange semblance to Impmon while the other had the appearance of Lord HolyAngemon with the exception of his damaged armor, torn clothing, his lack of wings and the missing white robe that covered his body. In that moment, the fallen Lord HolyAngemon raised his arms up to shield himself from the light.

With the enemy unmasked, Gallantmon flew forward and tackled the fallen angel onto the ground, in time for the light dissipate and revert him into Beelzemon. He growled distastefully at Gallantmon and managed to push him off. Beelzemon straightened himself up and kneed the armored knight in the chest before sending him into a nearby building. Beelzemon patted the dust off his hands, only to himself attacked again by the other Beelzemon.

"Wretched Imp!" the fallen angel sneered, raising his shotgun and firing, "Double Shot!"

Beelzemon took the blasts to the chest and fell backwards, reverting back into his rookie form of Impmon. The beaten Impmon sat up, inching away from the fallen angel that stalked towards him. Hikari raced forward, responding to her innate love for all digimon and stepped between the two digimon. Beelzemon stopped in his tracks at the display and laughed, "How noble, but do you actually think you can protect that worm from me?"

"No, but I can!" Gallantmon's voice rang out, emerging from the ruined building with his shield forward. He rammed Beelzemon into a wall with his shield and fired a blast of energy, "Shield of the Just!"

The blast should have destroyed Beelzemon, but it only managed to weaken him. Still pinned to the wat, the mask that covered his face fell away, revealing long ghost white hair that covered most of his face. Hikari couldn't tell from her position, but it seemed Gallantmon was actually seeing the face of Angel didn't seem to matter though since he immediately demanded, "Where's Lucemon?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Gallantmon slammed his shield against Beelzemon forcefully and demanded again, "Where is he?"

"If you're trying to save your friend, forget it!" Beelzemon taunted, "He's with Lord Lucemon now! Nothing can bring him back! He and Lord Lucemon are one!"

"Where is he?" Gallantmon asked again, smashing his shield against Beelzemon again. Beelzemon coughed up a red liquid that splattered against Gallantmon's white armor. He laughed, mocking the white knight, "Tell me, is the reason you seek Lord Lucemon to gain more power? Feh, you and I really aren't too different. It's a shame, if Lord Lucemon weren't so strong then you and I could join forces against him.

"I don't want power, I just want to save her brother!" Gallantmon said again, this time beating Beelzemon with the shield and knocking him to the side, "Where is he?"

"I see, so you're that kind of person," Beelzemon laughed. As Hikari watched Gallantmon become more aggressive against Beelzemon, she became terribly frightened. Were she not so frightened, she would probably have sunk to her knees but the fear was too great. She couldn't find the energy to move any part of her body and watched fearfully as Gallantmon continued to 'interrogate' Beelzemon.

"Do you think this will make me talk?" Beelzemon teased, "I've endured an eternity of punishment far worse than anything you could ever devise in your simple mind. I've endured horrors you do not even have names for!"

Gallantmon was clearly growing annoyed and raised his lance over Beelzemon. Beelzemon looked at it and laughed, "Lord Lucemon! I offer myself to you! Take my data and destroy everything!"

Just before Gallantmon could do anything, Beelzemon burst into a could of red dust and dissipated into nothing. Robbed of whatever he planned on doing, Gallantmon let out a roar of frustration and smashed his lance on the broken pavement. He began to glow brightly before turning into Takato and Guilmon. Takato was on all fours, punching the pavement with his fist, "DAMMIT!"

Hikari watched with disdain, looking to see Impmon behind her with an equally surprised look. Yet there was more, as if he had seen it before and was afraid of the outcome. Hikari didn't know why he was afraid but feared for the worst. What was happening to Takato?

…………

**Author's Notes: **Yawn, another chapter over and done with. NIU will be the death of me, which is better in comparison. My next update will be in six weeks on Friday, December 18th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network (PSN ID leo11235). Don't forget to check out my Resistance Sample. Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	15. Envy

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Notes: **Hey there boys and girls! Happy assorted religious/ethnic celebrations to all of you. Why? Because Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, etc are all upon us and it's time of merry festivities and good will. To that end, I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. In addition, as is usually with the holiday season, my cynicism is at an all time high! Whee! Winter break came around early so I had a little more time to work on this than I expected. I did my best to revise and errors (grammatical or otherwise) but I would like to remind you all that some things can get past my radar. I would like to thank you all for supporting this story for another year and I hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. This story would not be where it is now without your support and I truly appreciate it. Now then, on to review responses:

**Lord Pata: **Honestly, I did that to try to create a digimon mythology that could be static enough to incorporate all of the current digimon mythos (at least what I know) and still leave room for interpretation for future digimon to come. Admittedly though, I still favor PataGato over SeraphOphan

**Starowner: **Yes, yes he should

**Master Xehanort: **Who knows? I don't.

**Dracula-Key: **You really think so? Thanks. Really, I wrote so many different endings that this is what I finally settled on.

**Light-Sakura: **Yes, it is. It is really weird to say.

**Fire Hedgehog: **And it will only get darker. Thanks for enjoying.

**Anitoon3: **Actually, you're thinking of the 'less than three' symbol, so that it would look like this: 3. A well, animation in all it's forms are a wonder to behold.

**Chm01: **Shhh! You're giving away too much plot!

**Salamander Hanzo: **Thank you

**MasterXehanort: **That's because we're all innately human. We all have limitations in our capacities to think an d are prone to kill. As for Data Squad, Frontier and X-Evolution; never heard of them so I have no clue what you're talking about. I'm guessing those are the current seasons of digimon although, for me, there are only two: the original and the second season.

**Anitoon3: **Wait no more for here it is…also, are you the same Anitoon3 from above?

**Tri-Emperor of the Twilight: **No, I haven't played either. But I'm guessing from the wikipedia article, you mean he's shit out of luck. Yes, I completely agree, Takato is shit out of luck.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 15: Envy**

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

To the dismay of many, many students, the chaos of Monday evening and early Tuesday morning magically avoided every school in the Tokyo Area. Many homes and businesses were destroyed, and the body count was still being tallied. The deceased were still being identified, the majority of which were still buried beneath several layers of rubble that used to be downtown Shinjuku, Odaiba, Yamamoto and part of Rainbow Bridge. In an attempt to maintain a sense of normalcy, the government insisted that everyone continue their daily routine.

This didn't stop the recovery effort by the JSDF, occupied with clearing rubble from the streets, recovering and identifying dead bodies, directing traffic in sections of the city where power was still unavailable, and overall maintenance of martial law.

Even the digidestined in high school (minus Takato) couldn't avoid bearing witness to the unearthly damage left by the so-called D-reaper during their walk to school. Notably, as they passed the bakery owned by Takato's family, they spotted two stretchers being rolled out. Resting on each was a body wrapped in white cloth stained with dried blood. The soldiers present were busy loading the stretchers onto the back of an ambulance and cleaning blood stains from the front window. Briefly, Hikari feared the worse for Takato's parents and prayed that they hadn't joined the body count.

Suddenly, a soldier whistled to the others and immediately ripped the door off of an overturned car. Other soldiers rushed to aid him as he reached into the car and pulled out a wailing infant wrapped in a wool blanket. The soldier brought the child to a medic nearby while other soldiers pulled a little girl out of the car next.

"I've never seen anything so horrible," Miyako commented, "Not even when Myotismon invaded. How could anything be so cruel?"

"Seven Demon Lords," Ken muttered silently, his gaze pulled off into empty space.

"Six," TK corrected, "Beelzemon deleted himself."

Hikari wasn't listening, as she was being too busy wondering why they hadn't seen Takato yet. He disappeared shortly after the battle with Beelzemon and hadn't been seen since. Any attempts to call or text him went unanswered. Much to her dismay, he had been marked as a high rank target by the Japanese government and quickly became the main subject of abuse by the media. They were quick to paint him as a terrorist who perpetrated all of it and, in the minds of the entire country, that was the case. Even some of her fellow chosen children weren't sure what to think.

Even their fellow students were quick to assume the worst. In the few minutes before her first period class, Hikari heard her classmates spreading all kinds of rumors regarding Takato. Some speculated he used his status as a transfer student while he went around planting bombs across the city. Others concluded he was a mad scientist and the monsters sighted across the city were part of some crazed experiment gone wrong. In all cases, Takato was painted as the bad guy.

Takeru, sitting beside her in his desk, was quick to point out, "This whole thing has really gotten out of hand, right Hikari?"

Hikari silently nodded, her mind too wrapped in worry and silently contemplation to hear anything TK said. Her main distraction? How completely useless she was for anything that happened lately. Taichi was possessed by some enraged digimon on a quest for vendetta, Takato disappeared without a trace, and part of her was convinced by Daemon that it was entirely her fault. If that was case, then she was also at fault for causing Takato so much trouble. Especially when she considered Lord HolyAngemon's warning about him being the only one who could save the world.

Just as the bell rang to signal the start of class, their teacher came in and everyone settled into the seats; at least, those who were present. The teacher allowed everyone to take their seat before explaining, "Good morning class. I know that we were told to hold school as if it were a normal day despite last night's events. However, we know many of you are still grieving the loss of family, friends and loved ones. Therefore, the school has decided to make today a free day. You are allowed to remain in your homeroom, the gym, the track or the cafeteria but please stay inside the school until the day has ended. That is all so you are free to do you what you want."

What should have been ecstatic cheers was replaced by sullen silence as several students left the classroom or huddled together to continue speculating Takato's involvement in the attack the night before. TK quickly took out his D-Terminal and began typing on the keyboard, "I'll send a message to the others and we can meet out at the cafeteria."

"Okay," Hikari murmured in reply, following Takeru out the door. Takeru tried to make conversation with her, asking her what she thought they should do, but Hikari was too distracted by what others around her were saying.

"Weren't those two that Takato-kid's friends?"

"They probably know where he is and aren't telling anyone!"

"My parents are dead because of that kid!"

"Hey," Takeru patted her on the shoulder, "Don't listen to them Hikari. They're just upset about what's happened, in fact everyone is, and they're just looking for someone to blame."

"But why Takato?" Hikari asked bitterly, "None of this is his fault."

"You keep saying that, Hikari," TK replied, looking at Hikari with the sincerest expression on his face, "But we were all there last night. Takato was in the middle of a pile of dead bodies and so was Guilmon. Even Yamato and Sora saw him attacking the police."

"But that wasn't him," Hikari protested, "He was possessed, just like Taichi."

"Hikari," TK said, his tone stressing pure skepticism, "Until we know more, we can't be sure of anything. Hypnos. Digimon Tamers. Bio-Merging. Multi-Verses. The End of the World…It's all a lot to take it in and it seems odd, to me at least, that this would all happen at once."

Hikari agreed to that sentiment, albeit hesitantly. TK was right to be skeptical, but this didn't stop any of it from being true or help Takato in his own predicament. They arrived in the cafeteria, which was eerily quiet despite being completely crowded. Hikari heard sobs, coughs, and whispers as she and TK joined the other chosen children. Though they had just arrived, Ken quickly proposed they move to a less crowded area as they were receiving many dirty looks from the surrounding students. Nobody argued and their group quickly walked to the school rooftop, hoping no one would be there so early in the day. Thankfully, no one was there.

"This is stupid!" Daisuke complained, "Why are we all just sitting here doing nothing when there are six evil digimon on the loose?"

"Okay, Daisuke," Miyako lashed back, "Do you know where they are, because I sure don't. How are we going to do anything if we don't even know where they are?"

"We can look!" Daisuke growled, "I thought it was our job to protect the real world and the Digital world?"

"It is, but let's be realistic for a second," Ken said calmly, "We don't have any leads, and it would take too much time to search the whole world for these guys."

Daisuke grunted in resignation crossing his arms behind his head. Miyako rolled her eyes in shame of Daisuke's behavior but couldn't deny her own feelings of helplessness, "I have to agree with Daisuke though. I don't like just standing around and doing nothing."

"Where's Takato, anyway?" Daisuke asked no one in particular. Ken groaned, "Don't tell me you've bought those stories about Takato being a terrorist. He's a digidestined like us. Well sort of like us."

"And how do we know he is, Ken?" Daisuke asked suspiciously. He shot a warning glare at Ken, which caused Miyako to curl her hand into a fist. Ken put his arm out to stop her from doing anything rash and explained, "Because I'm sure you all agree with me when I say Hikari and I are the ones most sensitive to the powers of darkness. Hikari, did you happen to feel any kind of evil coming from Takato?"

"No," Hikari answered sheepishly, "I didn't."

"Well neither did I," Ken added, "So whatever he did must have been out of his power. Like when…when I was the Kaiser."

"Okay, I get it. Takato's a good guy," Daisuke whined, while muttering, "Although he could have fooled me because I know I told him Hikari's my girl."

Thankfully, everyone was too distracted by Ken's sullen reaction to his memories as the Kaiser. Miyako pleaded comfortingly to her loving boyfriend, "It's in the past, okay Ken? Everyone's already forgiven you for it and we know it's not your fault."

"Right," Ken muttered, managing to don a smile on his face, "Thanks Miyako."

"While we're on the subject of Takato," Takeru pointed out, "This might not be appropriate to ask, but how did your date go up until the fighting?"

"Yeah, tell us Hikari," Miyako asked excitedly. Daisuke grunted his disapproval of the subject, while everyone else leaned in on Hikari excitedly. Miyako was the most enthusiastic, asking, "Come on, spill!"

Hikari felt uncomfortable being asked so many questions about her date with Takato, and especially didn't want to bring up the fact horrific ending to it all. Her chest tightened and she momentarily lost her voice in her search for a reply. Sensing her hesitation, Miyako stated, "Something happened."

"No, I mean-"

"Oh no, I'm so sorry Hikari," Miyako said, "What happened? It's okay, you can tell us."

Hikari became teary eyed and choked, "It was nothing."

"What did he do to you?" Daisuke growled angrily, "If he hurt you, I'm going to-"

"No way!" Miyako gasped, "Hikari, he didn't really do…that…did he?"

"No! He didn't!" Hikari replied frantically in his defense, "He wouldn't do that…it was…"

"Then what was it?" Daisuke demanded angrily, grabbing Hikari by the shoulders, "He hurt you didn't he…"

"No, I," Hikari paused, at a complete loss for words. Daisuke peered into her eyes with a menacing scowl; one that she knew wasn't one of spite for another human being but was of his protectiveness of Hikari. As he would often put it: She was his girl. Even though they had never dated. Shaking herself free of Daisuke, she explained, "Nothing like that happened. We just…ran into an old friend of his."

That was apparently enough to put Daisuke at ease, or so she thought until Miyako blurted out, "It was another girl, wasn't it!"

"What!?" TK and Daisuke replied simultaneously. Miyako grinned cunningly, "So, Takato is the kind of person who's in to multiple relationships. This is definitely something out of a shojo manga, or one of those day time soap operas."

"That no good son of a-," Daisuke grunted before he could finish his comment, cracking his knuckles as loudly as he could, "I'll kill him if I see him-"

"Hikari, is he really in another relationship?" TK asked, his eyes pressing more concern and worry than anger. Hikari couldn't lie to her childhood friend and nodded silently. TK ran a hand through his hair and sighed in disbelief, "You think you know a guy…"

_BEEP BEEP_

Takeru was cut off by the sound of his D-Terminal's ring tone. He opened it up and said aloud, "It's a message from Yamaki. It says they're tracing another digimon in the Sea of Japan and they're sending someone to get us."

No sooner than he said that, a black van pulled up to the front of the school and two men climbed out. They were the stereotypical agents, clad in a pair of black suits, shades and earpieces. One of the lit a cigarette and decided to wait by the van whilst the other disappeared inside the school. With an excited look on his face, Daisuke cheered, "Looks like we're going after an evil digimon."

…………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Takato rode atop a flying Guilmon over the Sea of Japan, following the tracking the function on his D-Arc as it continue to rotate and change direction without notice. He had been following it since Beelzemon deleted himself, and continuous beeping of the device was beginning to irritate him. Needless to say, the lack of sleep was beginning to wear him down although he didn't feel the least bit tired. Maybe it was his overbearing desire to bring Hikari's smile back to her that kept him from becoming sleepy. After all, he had no other leads to her brother except for wherever his D-Arc was taking him.

Regardless, he knew he would need to rest soon but knowing they were so close to their destination made him anxious. When his D-Arc began to beep faster he patted his partner on the back and said, "Okay buddy, it should be right below us."

"Okay, Hang on!" Guilmon growled as he dove down. The skies were unnecessarily cloudy so it was impossible to see what exactly was in front of them during their descent. The lower they descended, the stronger the wind seemed to blow. As they finally broke through the cloud cover, Takato saw a group of four ships and a raging ocean that spiraled into a whirlpool.

The ships were clearly military in nature and had Chinese symbols emblazoned on the side. On the decks of these ships, sailors scrambled to throw things overboard to lighten their ships while they tried to navigate away from the whirlpool. One unfortunate ship skirted the edge of the whirlpool, just barely able to avoid getting sucked in but unable to break away.

Suddenly, the ship lurched forward and out of the whirlpool's grip. Even over the raging sea, Takato could hear the sailor's cheering over their victory. Unfortunately, it was a short-lived victory. A red tail emerged out of the waters and whipped itself downward around the ship. With almost no effort, the ship was dragged below. Some of the more fortunate sailors were able to jump overboard before it was pulled under, only to be pulled straight towards the whirlpool.

Acting on instinct, Takato said to his partner, "We've got to help those people Guilmon! Let's go!"

"Right!" Guilmon dove into action, flying straight down into the waters below and grabbing the first sailor he could. The sailor started screaming indiscernible Chinese at them, although Takato had a feeling it was something along the lines of 'a monster! I'm going to die!' Guilmon ignored this and instantly turned towards the nearest ship, doing his best to stay aloft against the man's thrashing and screaming, "He's too heavy Takatomon."

"Just a little longer buddy," Takato encouraged his partner. Guilmon used all his strength to get high enough to land on the deck and set the man down. The sailor collapsed to the ground gasping and screaming more Chinese. Guilmon took to the air again and continued his pulling more sailors out of the rampaging waters. Just as the last of the sailors were saved, the red tail re emerged out of the water and pulled another ship under the water.

The tail then resurfaced and began to thrash at Takato and Guilmon. However, Guilmon's small size gave him all the ability he needed to weave around the wringing tail while taking occasional shots with his pyrosphere. It seemed a simple enough task, until a second tail emerged and began to whip around dangerously. Guilmon was still able to keep out of the whipping tails reach, but a lack of sleep and about a day's worth of non-stop fighting were beginning to take its toll. Guilmon began to lose speed and it was becoming harder for him to keep attacking the opponent. With a tired groan, Guilmon whined, "So hungry…sleepy…"

"Hang in there, buddy."

"ANIMA!" a deep voice echoed. A blast of red light shot out of the water and zigzagged across the surface in an attempt to hit Guilmon. While the beam missed by a long shot, it left its mark by having cut through the cloud cover above, drawing a perfect 'Z' in the sky. Takato stared in awe at mark in the sky, a testament to the sheer power of their enemy. His attention was only returned to the fight when Guilmon growled, "Takatomon, look!"

Below them, a large red monstrosity surfaced out of the center of the whirlpool and roared angrily in Takato's direction. It resembled a large alligator with a bloated head and a tail that was split in two. Its size was its main point, the head being twice as long as one of the ships below. Takato couldn't help but appreciate its similarity to a particular movie monster that often terrorized Tokyo but reminded him that it was real and it wanted them dead. Retrieving his D-Arc, Takato held it up to the digimon and read aloud the information that appeared, "Leviamon…and nothing else…well, at least I have a name."

OF course, before he could act, the two surviving Chinese ships fired a hail of bullets and shells at the monstrosity. None of their attacks seemed to phase the red monstrosity, who ignored their continued assaults and focused his attention on Takato. He opened his large mouth and charged towards Takato and Guilmon. Up close, Takato was able to appreciate the monster's size in a whole new way by staring down the enormous cavern that was its mouth. Guilmon did his best to outrun the large digimon to no avail, forcing Takato to wield up his digivice and shout, "Bio-Merge Activate!"

The familiar sensation of the bio-merge overtook him and he found himself in the body of Gallantmon, although for how long was a different matter entirely. He and his partner were tired, and the bio-merge took up too much energy with each use. The frequent amount of bio-merges Takato had used of late was putting a dangerous strain on himself and his partner. There was a good chance they would die from this fight, but he stayed focused and turned to face his opponent…

…Just in time to be eaten whole by the slimy, teeth ridden mouth of Leviamon. Gallantmon could feel Leviamon's tongue scraping him along the edge of his mouth against thousands of razor sharp teeth. Gallantmon did not plan of becoming the main course for dinner and quickly stabbed Leviamon's tongue with his lance. This was just enough for Leviamon to open his mouth and let Gallantmon escape.

Gallantmon put some considerable distance between himself and Leviamon, stopping only to point his joust at him and cry, "LIGHTNING JOUST!"

A blast of energy shot back and struck Leviamon square in the nose. Leviamon was clearly unaffected and charged towards Gallantmon with an angry look in his eye. Sensing Leviamon wanted his food back; Gallantmon took off at blinding speed. Behind him was an indefinite roar, "ANIMA!"

Another blast of red light appeared from Leviamon's mouth, following Gallatmon's path as he flew across the sky. Gallantmon was unable to avoid such a large beam and was eventually hit. The beam tore Gallantmon apart, reverting him back to Takato and Guilmon. They plummeted downwards and hit the water with a crash. Takato was in excruciating pain and was unable to breathe. Doing the only logical thing, he tried to swim for the surface but didn't know which way was up. After swimming aimlessly for some time and almost running out of air, he felt something grab his back and pull him upwards. Takato broke the surface gasping for breath and coughing up water. He was holding on to his rescuer for dear life and took the chance to look. It was Guilmon, who was sprawled out and acting like a flotation device so that Takato could have something to latch on to. He also saw Leviamon moving towards them with his mouth wide open, ready to swallow him and his partner whole.

"POSITRON LASER!"

A beam of light shot out of the heavens and hit Leviamon square in the back, causing him to lurch and roar, "ANIMA!"

Before Leviamon could attack, an equally large black dragon with red wings appeared and slammed into it at high speed. The force was enough to send waves crashing all around Takato while Leviamon rolled on to his side. The large dragon, which Takato recognized as Imperialdramon, turned towards the Tamer and his partner and said, "Ken! Daisuke! I've found them!"

"Alright Imperialdramon!" Daisuke cheered, appearing on the digimon's head, "Takato! Are you alright?"

"I think so!" Takato gasped back at them, still trying to catch his second wind.

"Good! Because I'm going to kill you myself!" Daisuke shouted back, "Sit back and we'll show you how the digidestined take down a bad guy!"

Takato was thankful for their arrival but had no idea what Daisuke meant when he said he wanted to kill him. Takato assumed it was a joke and did his best to rest, whilst MagnaAngemon, Angewomon, Submarimon, and Aquilamon all appeared from Imperialdramon's head.

Leviamon had already rolled himself over and furiously used his 'Anima' attack to shoot the digidestined's digimon from the sky. They each took their turn weaving through the enormous beam of energy, whilst Submarimon pulled along side Takato and Guilmon. The glass cockpit slid open to reveal Iori manning the controls, "Hey guys, need a lift?"

"That would be nice," Takato replied thankfully, letting go of Guilmon and grabbing onto Submarimon. Iori latched on to Takato's arm and pulled him into the already small cockpit. Takato shivered as the cockpit closed, his clothes soaked and his entire body drenched in water. Submarimon offered a fin to Guilmon and said, "Hang on, this ride's going to get a little bumpy."

Guilmon wrapped himself around Submarimon's fin and diverted himself towards Imperialdramon. When they were finally below Imperialdramon, he scooped them up with his claw and placed them atop his head. Submarimon opened his cockpit to Takato and Iori out, before reverting back into Armadillomon. Takato stumbled onto Imperialdramon's head and fell backwards instantly. Daisuke stretched a hand to help him with a smile, "Here, let me help you up."

Takato graciously took it and was helped to his feet. Only for Daisuke to punch him back onto the ground, "Okay, that felt good."

"What was that for Daisuke?" Takato complained, rubbing his sore cheek. Once again Daisuke stretched out his hand to help him, this time with a frown, "Three reasons: you asked Hikari out on a date, You already had a girlfriend when you asked her out, and because you disappeared like an idiot."

"Wha-?"

"You're a pretty big idiot, Takato," Daisuke said bluntly, "And I'm not too happy about the way you've been acting lately. But it's not the worst thing I've seen anyone do so I guess I can forgive you."

Takato didn't know what Daisuke was talking about and was too busy freezing to the bone to care. He shivered furiously to warm himself up. Daisuke noted this and gave him his blazer, "Here."

"Thanks," Takato replied, stripping himself of his own soaked school blazer and wrapping Daisuke's around himself. A sudden explosion that rocked Imperialdramon brought everyone's attention back to the fight, except for Hikari who pulled Takato to side, "Takato…why did you do that."

"What do you mean?" he asked her, still shivering out of his mind. Hikari was unable to make eye contact with him and sputtered, "Idiot. I mean endangering yourself like that. Please, I can't bare to lose you to."

"I'm sorry," Takato apologized, "I wasn't trying to scare you. I-"

"I know," Hikari stopped him, "I know."

Hikari then wrapped her arms around Takato and hugged him. Takato was surprised at first, but quickly found himself returning the hug. Her skin was soft, smooth, and warming to the touch. He no longer felt cold at all.

Meanwhile, the battle between the digimon and the Demon Lord was trapped in a stalemate. The Demon Lord was swatted aimlessly at the attacking digimon to little effect while none of their digimon's attacks put a scratch on him. IMperialdramon would occasionally fire more lasers from the cannon mounted on his back which left quite the dent in the large digimon but were too far and in between.

_Enough_, a dark voice said in Takato's head, _This has gone on long enough! You will fight in my domain!_

One of Leviamon's whip like tails wrapped itself around Imperialdramon and began to pull the dragon into the whirlpool below, digidestined and all. Imperialdramon tried to free himself, struggling violently against the constricting tail and was almost successful until the other tail wrapped itself around him. Imperialdramon was pulled into the center of the whirlpool and sank into the water, while the other digimon attacked Leviamon's tail in the hopes of freeing them. The digidestined cheered Imperialdramon on, to little avail as soon they were all submerged in icy waters below.

And then there was nothing but darkness as far as they could see. Takato could see nothing but could hear the others talking around him.

"Where are we?"

"Ken, is that you?"

"No, it's TK. Let me go Miyako."

"Sorry, Ken?"

"I'm right here!"

"Ken!"

"I'm alright Miyako, are you?"

"I'm fine, everyone?"

"I'm good."

"Same."

"_Welcome to my domain Digidestined!_" the dark voice cackled, "_This is the abyss! The nothingness between all worlds, where even the brightest lights are unable to guide you!"_

"Who said that!?" Hikari's voice asked. Her answer came with the appearance of Leviamon circling around them or, more accurately, Imperialdramon. The large digimon was still trapped in Leviamon's two tails and was clearly too unconscious to do anything of it.

"Leviamon," Takeru growled. Leviamon leveled himself off at eye level to the digidestined, examining them all with his large yellow eye, "_You are in my world now – the very nothingness that spawned the darkest worlds and even the light that you covet to protect so much!"_

"What are you talking about!" Ken scowled. Leviamon replied by squeezing Imperialdramon with his tail and cackling, "_Don't you know? In the beginning there was nothing…Welcome to NOTHING! The birthplace of all that is and will be! It is fitting that you should all die where it all began!"_

Leviamon opened his mouth to swallow the digimon whole, only to be stopped by a golden arrow that hit him in the nose, "Celestial Arrow!"

Angewomon, MagnaAngemon and Aquilamon appeared above them and began attacking the large Demon Lord. In that moment of distraction, Imperialdramon was able to break free of Leviamon's grip and put distance between himself and his enemy. Once they were a considerable distance apart, Imperialdramon growled, "Daisuke! Ken! I need to go Fighter Mode!"

"Right," They said together. They both held up their digivices, but nothing happened. Leviamon laughed at their display, "_Foolish Humans! We are outside the influence of your precious powers of light! Wait-"_

A pink light enveloped Angewomon, and a golden light enveloped MagnaAngemon. The light pierced through the darkness and forced Leviamon away from them, "_How! This is My DOMAIN! MY WILL BE DONE!"_

"Quickly! Imperialdramon! Take the power of our crests! Use it to digivolve!" Angewomon explained, as their glow left them and they reverted back to Gatomon and Patamon. The lights darted towards Daisuke and Ken's digivices respectively, causing them to let out a loud whistling followed by a bright glow. When the light dimmed, Imperialdramon's black armor was now white and he held a large golden sword emblazoned with strange Latin, "Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode!"

"Alright! Paladin Mode!" Daisuke cheered, "We're going to win this one for sure!"

"_Your overconfidence will be your downfall," _Leviamon warned, _"Still, I've always wanted to slay the founder of the knights myself. I guess I should be thankful."_

"Founder of the knights? Daisuke, does he mean those Royal Knights you were talking about?" Miyako asked. Daisuke shrugged, "I dunno, maybe? Imperialdramon, did you create the Royal Knights?"

"Maybe he means another Imperialdramon," Ken thought aloud. All of the digidestined and their partners offered different takes on Leviamon's words, each more implausible than the last.

"Ooh! Maybe Veemon and Wormmon are royalty!"

"I don't think I'm Royalty!"

"But he said you founded the Royal Knights!"

"_ENOUGH! ANIMA!" _Leviamon opened his mouth to launch his attack. Imperialdramon raised his sword above his head and dashed forward, "Talk later! OMNISWORD!"

Before Leviamon could launch his attack, Imperialdramon stabbed him in the head. Leviamon stopped in his tracks, taking the moment to laugh, "_I guess I should have known…you couldn't beat me so you decided to reconfigure me…Heh, I will never give you the pleasure! Lord Lucemon! I offer myself up to you…Take my power and fulfill your goal!"_

And with that, Leviamon dissipated into a cloud of data. That dark void known as the abyss began to fade away and images of cities, forests, stars, people - whole worlds flashing before their eyes. Each image telling a different tale, showing another outcome, a potential future, a past that never happened, all of it weaving away and towards each other in a strange outline of history. One in particular caught Takato's eye: an image of himself and Jeri having lunch together in his school. Takato wasn't in any way envious of the image. In fact, he was almost dismissive of it. Somehow, he was no longer attracted to Jeri the way he used to be.

Then another image appeared, one of a bright blue ocean and two Chinese ships circling around aimlessly and picking up anyone it found in the water. This image drew closer and closer to everyone. As it did, all the digimon reverted to their Rookie form. The salty sea air blew across their faces, and then a falling sensation. They fell straight into the frigid waters below with a huge splash that caught the attention of the surrounding ships.

"Are we back in the Real World?" Hikari gasped. She latched onto the nearest thing she could grasp which happened to be Takato. Takato didn't complain, because the warmth of Hikari's body helped keep him warm. Not to mention the fact that it was Hikari in her soaked school uniform.

"It looks like," Daisuke affirmed, "We did it! We beat him!"

"I don't think so, look!" TK pointed upwards. The sky was no longer cloudy and stormy, but it wasn't the same blue vault they remembered. A familiar sight reflect back at them, another world as big and round as the Earth but with no distinguishable landmass.

"The digital world," Veemon exclaimed, "But why's it up there?"

No one could say they knew for sure, but Takato had a strange feeling it had to do with the Infinite Singularity he mentioned. The ships circled around the digidestined and began throwing lifesavers towards them while screaming inexplicable Chinese. As Takato and Iori grabbed onto the closest one near them, his body finally gave way to fatigue. He closed his eyes, telling himself he would only get a moment's rest but soon found himself in a deep sleep.

**Author's Notes: **Yawn, another chapter over and done with. NIU is finally on winter break and I intend to take full advantage of it. My next update will be in six weeks on Friday, January 29th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network (PSN ID leo11235). Don't forget to check out my Resistance Sample. Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	16. The Weight On His Shoulders

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Update: **Hey guys, I really apologize about the initial posting of the recent chapters for Oyabun and Takato' Light. For reasons beyond my control, refused to accept anything that wasn't in the "html" format. Sadly, this meant a lot of the original content was deleted after the initial posting. I'm not entirely sure what happened but thankfully the issue appears resolved. Thanks for your patience and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

**Author's Notes: **Yo, what's up everyone? Needless to say it has been a long six weeks and my brain is fried from how much I have to do. To be honest with all of you: I threw this chapter together over the course of the last two days. If it weren't for how much of this I have already preplanned, I'm not sure if I would have been able to get this done in time. For that, I apologize. Thankfully, my good friend Keri-Chan was able to beta this for me in time which means there should be dramatically less grammar and spelling errors in this chapter. I will be posting a reflection on my profile in the next few days so please enjoy it when I post it. And now on to review responses:

**Salamander Hanzo: **Well…yes and no…you see, Takato is part digimon in the sense that he can bio-merge with Guilmon into the knight Gallantmon. In this form, from what I understand, he is just as vulnerable to the effects of digimon attacks as a normal digimon. Naturally, when he transitions back into being human he carries over any conditions he retains back with him. In that sense, his temporary possession by one of the seven demon lords has left him tainted by the darkness.

**Anitoon3: **Thanks for the kinds words and the continued support. Really, it means a lot to hear someone say they really enjoy the fic. Not because it makes it worth writing, I would write the story regardless on if anyone read it or not, but it's nice to know people (such as yourself) are enjoying it.

**Master Xehanort: **I agree on the comparison, in fact I drew a lot from that because it remains one of my favorite boss fights to date, second only to another battle which I will keep to myself for the time being. As for your request, it's not too much to ask. In fact, you kind of gave away that plot point. Shh! Keep it a secret! As a secret between the two of us, I use the Remix of Hikari (Kingdom Hearts main theme) and World End (theme from Code Geass) as the songs I listen to when writing this fic.

**Tri-Emperor of The Twilight: **Hmm…sounds an awful lot like Sephiroth after he comes to conclude that Jenova is his mother (a huge jump to a conclusion I still don't get). Something like that may happen. You'll just have to see to find out.

**61wisampa: **IF you've been reading between the lines, you might notice there is a reason for Takato's darker behavior ;) If not, you might get a clue from reading this chapter. I'm also glad you're enjoying the TakatoxHikari.

**Dameus: **As much as I respect your love of Daisuke as a character, you can't deny that the main series treated him as something akin to a 'straight man' or 'butt-monkey'. That is not to say he is a bad character, but part of his popularity is because he is somewhat of a knuckle-headed, charge-in-screaming, charismatic goof who is loyal to his friends. Add in the 'raging-teenage hormones' and this gets elevated to the nth-degree. I never intend to portray one of my favorite characters in a negative light, just give him a little more dimension. Besides which, all of his lines in the previous chapter were intended to be playful/sarcastic, not serious. Ie – two friends arguing over who could hold his liquor longer.

**Starowner: **I'm glad you liked it. Please continue to read and enjoy.

**Light-Sakura: **You really think so? Thank you, truly. Reading your reply has made my day.

And now, without further ado, I present the continuation of this fanfiction:

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 16: The Weight On His Shoulders**

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

As soon as they were saved by the Chinese sailors, a black helicopter appeared and set down on the landing pad on the rear of the ship. Out stepped Yamaki, who demanded to speak with the captain of the vessel whilst several other agents hurried the digidestined, tamer and digimon aboard. Towels were handed to each of them so they could dry off and a cup of warm tea. They waited in the helicopter silently until Yamaki returned, at which point the helicopter took to the air and towards Japan.

"We're going to stop at a small airport once we reach the mainland," the pilot said to Yamaki, "We're running on just enough fuel to get us that far. It'll be at least another hour before we arrive back at Shinjuku."

"Alright, go ahead. You know you kids are lucky that I still have some favors I can use," Yamaki stated to the digidestined rather bluntly. He took a seat in the back with the children and lit up a cigarette, taking almost no care to avoid blowing smoke in their face, "Especially you Takato. You're at the top of Japan's Most Wanted."

"What?" Takato stammered in disbelief. Yamaki nodded, "I have no idea where the hell you disappeared to yesterday, but it's been a shit storm ever since. Here."

Yamaki retrieved a laptop from inside a briefcase he kept. He opened the lid and faced the screen to Takato, showing a live TV feed on the news, "…We'll provide more information as it comes in. For those just tuning in, video footage released by the National Diet has become the subject for heated debate. Let's play the video now please. As you can see from this footage taken from a traffic camera in Shinjuku, two people can be seen leading the monster. The blurry image makes it impossible to identify the two, but federal investigators insist they are Matsuki Takato and a still unknown accomplice. While the Diet assures us more information will be released when available, some claim that the person in question is a government sponsored scapegoat and that there is a conspiracy at work. Public opinion seems to think that Mr. Matsuki is responsible and should face the punishment for his actions. We're going to—okay, we have another story coming in about an appearance of another plane—"

"I think you get the idea," Yamaki stated plainly, closing the laptop and replacing it in his bag. Hikari saw the blank expression on his face and pondered what he was thinking. There was no way to read what he was thinking, but suspected horror wasn't too far off the mark. Takato's gaze remained fixated at where laptop once was. Everyone else had their eyes fixed on Takato, waiting for his reply. It was a tense silence as Takato seemingly froze in his seat, unable to reply.

"Takato?" Takeru asked, snapping his fingers in front of Takato.

"Yamaki, are you the one who said I was responsible for all this?" Takato asked. Yamaki ran a hand through his hair and frowned, "Yes."

"What!?" was the combined reaction of the digidestined. The only exception was Takato who remained unfazed by Yamaki's announcement, instead asking, "And my parents?"

"They're fine," Yamaki said uncomfortably, "We've moved them away from the eyes of the media."

Takato nodded his approval and graciously answered, "Thanks, Yamaki."

"Hang on, am I missing something here?" Miyako groaned, "He's the reason the entire country is out to get you and you're thanking him?"

"Well, there's more to it than that," Takato answered sheepishly, "Yamaki and I have known each other for a long time and, in all that time, everything he's done has always been for some greater cause."

The confused look on Miyako's face told him he had lost her so he went on, "My guess is that, since I'm a 'wanted fugitive', I'm pretty much free to go about looking for the remainder of these Demon Lords."

"But why not just do that for all of us?" Ken inquired, "It would make sense to have all of us actively searching because then we would be able to cover more ground in less time."

Once again, Yamaki frowned, "It's not entirely that simple. As far as the general public is concerned, there were only two people involved in the attack. Takato was announced as one before we could do anything about it and, believe me, it was the last thing any of us wanted. I'm sorry Takato."

"I understand," Takato replied apathetically, unmoved by Yamaki's apology. Yamaki apparently sensed Takato's indifference and quickly retrieved a cigarette from inside his coat pocket. He rolled it between his fingers before placing inside his mouth to chew on. One of the pilots caught on to this and said, "Sir. No smoking, please. At this altitude, the oxygen deprivation would be fatal."

"I'm not smoking it," Yamaki answered, "I'm just going to chew."

This appeared to put the pilot's mind at ease and he returned his attention to flying the helicopter towards the mainland. Yamaki chewed on the cigarette for a little bit before Iori anxiously replied, "Wait, so this means there's one more person who can go with him."

"Hmm? Oh right, yeah. Right now, we can only release the information of one other person without drawing too much attention. I apologize but if we had footage with more than two people we could do otherwise. We asked the others first, but they didn't exactly jump at the idea."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Takato replied quietly. Yamaki patted Takato on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, they'll come around. They can't stay mad at you forever."

Hikari looked into Takato's eyes and concluded his mind was far away. Hikari could idle a guess as to what was troubling him but concluded it was better to say nothing. The rest of ride back home was silent, save for soft snores coming from Daisuke and the digimon.

…………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

The helicopter landed on the roof of the Shinjuku Towers, more commonly called the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Two agents greeted them on the landing pad and slid the door open. Takato and Guilmon disembarked first, followed closely by Yamaki and the others. One of the agents shouted to Yamaki over the roar of the helicopter engine, "Sir, the kids are waiting in the control room with everyone else. They want to talk with their friend."

"And this is important?!" Yamaki shouted back sarcastically.

"I thought you might want to know since we might have located another one!" the agent shouted back.

"Okay, but let's talk inside! I can't hear anything over the roar of this engine! And get a doctor to look at these kids!" Yamaki replied. They retreated inside the building and down a spiraling staircase while the teens and their digimon followed after. Takato had to admit, he didn't feel even the least bit comfortable in such a confined location given his last visit here had been with hand cuffs and restraints. The two agents seemed on edge as well, both of them keeping their jackets open and their side arms in full view.

They went down one flight of stairs before one of the agents stopped them. He directed them through a door and said, "We have a medical wing through here. Please step inside."

"I'll meet with the rest of you in the control room, later," Yamaki said to them. He and the other agent continued down the stairs, "So what do you mean you might have found another one."

"We haven't been able to clear up the static on the satellite screens. Every time we do, we get a weird image of—"

Their conversation faded with the two Hypnos workers, who descended further down the stairs. Everyone else went into the medical wing where they found a single doctor busy sifting through several folders. When she became aware of the other guests, she promptly squeaked, "Oh, hello! I'm sorry, let me put these away… wait a minute, why did you bring kids in here?"

"They're the ones Yamaki briefed you on," the agent replied, "I'll leave them in your own care, okay?"

The agent disappeared out the door and left the doctor alone with seven teens and their digimon. The woman sighed despairingly, "Okay, I guess I'll start with the girls. If you'd come with me so I could take a look at you two."

Hikari and Miyako followed her to the bed at the far end of the room and pulled the curtain closed behind her. Takato shot a glance at the remaining Digidestined and found them completely red in the face, particularly Ken who had a small trickle of blood running down his nose. Takato, oddly enough, didn't feel even remotely uncomfortable. At least until an image of Hikari slowly taking off her clothes popped in to his head. As perverted as the idea was, he couldn't help himself from glowing bright red.

In his chest, he could feel his heart beating with more vigor at the thought of Hikari coming out from behind that curtain. Of course, none of the other boys or the digimon were there: just him and her.

Alone.

"Okay, all done," the doctor said, "Okay, boys next. If you'd please step behind the curtain."

When the girls came out from behind the curtain to the sight of four boys who were red in the face, their immediate reaction was to say, "Pigs!"

"So immature!" Miyako added, slapping all four of them across the face, "Geez!"

Hikari was also red in the face. She quickly looked away from the boys to hide it, but Takato suspected she realized why they were red in the face. More of less ashamed of himself, he followed the other boys into the back of the room whilst Miyako and Hikari waited by the digimon. The doctor scribbled some notes on a clipboard and said, "Okay, if you'd please take off your shirts."

"Is that an invitation?" Takeru joked. Takato tried to hold back a laugh but only managed to weaken it to a short chuckle. The doctor rolled her eyes and muttered, "Urg, men. I swear, I am not paid enough for this job."

The boys quickly relieved themselves of the shirts and the doctor went about inspecting their chests with her stethoscope. It was surprising to see how quickly she worked through all of them before returning to her clipboard, jotting down a few notes, and then retrieving a blood pressure cuff and some glass thermometers. She threw it in their mouths before either of them had a chance to say anything, and began to measure their blood pressure.

By the time she finished, she swiped the thermometers from their mouths and read them. Seemingly satisfied, she dismissed, "Okay, you're all in good condition. You can go."

"Well that was fast," Daisuke commented, dumbfounded at the pace with which the doctor worked.

"That's what she said," Takato blurted out before he realized it. TK, Ken and Daisuke burst into fits of laughter and tried to redress themselves to no avail. The doctor could only roll her eyes and frown, "Men."

She threw the curtain open, revealing the four topless boys to their female companions. Hikari and Miyako, in a mocking tone, cheered, "Woo! Take it off!"

Daisuke obliged by swinging his hips suggestively, resulting in Hikari and Miyako wooing. The doctor groaned, "Teenagers…"

The digidestined quickly apologized and threw their clothes back on, retreating out of the medical office and down the familiar flight of stairs. They reached the main control room quickly, where the large computer set up by the Hypnos staff was busy trying to display a blurry, distorted view of the Earth. Naturally, this caught the full attention of digidestined in the room. Takato, on the other hand, had his full attention diverted towards a slap on the face from an agitated red head beside a large yellow fox, "You're an idiot, Gogglehead."

"Rika," Takato stated stupidly. The red head slapped him once again across the face before stepping aside so he could face Jeri. Jeri wasn't meeting Takato's gaze, but wasn't avoiding it either. With a forced voice, she said, "I'm glad to see you're alright."

"Thanks," Takato replied monotonously. He was disappointed that Jeri wouldn't look at him but recalled her words to him on the day of the attack. She didn't say it discreetly, but Takato knew that they could never be together the way they were before this fiasco. Neither of them said anything for the longest time until Henry appeared, "Hey, Takato."

Henry didn't seem happy to see Takato, but he didn't look agitated either. It was possible he just didn't care or that he was trying his best to not take a side in the fight. Suzie appeared beside him, cradling Lopmon between her arms. With her were the siblings Ai and Mako, flanking their smaller digimon partner: Impmon. Impmon folded his arms across his chest and snidely remarked, "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

Takato returned their greeting with a simple hello, interrupted only by Terriermon bouncing onto his head, "Moumantai, remember."

"I guess," Henry replied to his digimon, "It's kind of hard to apply that to this situation though."

"Maybe," Terriermon answered, spinning in a circle on his head, "But it never hurts to take things one step at a time."

The level of wisdom coming from such a carefree digimon surprised Takato, especially given Terriermon's playful nature and carefree attitude. Some amount of Henry must have rubbed off on his digimon partner. Either that or Terrier was a lot wiser than he let on. Of course, all the newly gained respect Takato had for Terriermon's newfound wisdom flew out the door when Terriermon excitedly cried, "Guilmon! Let's play!"

"Okay!" Guilmon squealed. The two quickly began a game of tag in the middle of an already busy control room. Papers flew into the air and Hypnos employees fell to the ground as Guilmon and Terriermon's game terrorized the room. A burly agent who fell flat on his butt after Guilmon ran between his legs growled, "HEY! NOT IN THE CONTROL ROOM!"

"Guilmon! Buddy! Stop!" Takato shouted at his partner. Terriermon disappeared out the door into the hallway and Guilmon chased after him. Takato ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "Oh man."

"Forget about it," Ryo stated, appearing behind Henry with Justimon, Kazuo and Kenta in tow. Ryo then nodded at Henry, "Have they had any luck?"

"Not yet. The computer crashed again," Rika replied. Ryo grunted his disapproval and slammed a fist to his forehead. Confused Takato inquired, "What's going on?"

"Ever since the Digital World appeared in the sky, satellites across the globe are failing. If it weren't for the undersea cables, global communications would be down."

Takato understood everything until Henry got to the part about satellites and undersea cables, at which point he nodded and pretended to understand. Henry continued on about how the 'Monster Makers', as they were called, found nothing to suggest that the seven digimon which appeared had no connection to any of the digimon that appeared when they first created the digital world. The best they could conclude had something to do with quantum mechanics and particles randomly popping into existence. Henry went on with his talk about all the technology, whilst Takato nodded repeatedly.

Thankfully, a saving grace came in the form of Daisuke popping up beside with a wide grin on his face, "Hey Takato, who're your friends?"

"Oh right, I don't think we've been properly introduced," Henry stated, "I'm Henry Wong, my partner is Terriermon. I'd introduce you but he ran out with Guilmon."

"Yeah I saw," Daisuke commented with a cheerful grin, "My name's Motomiya Daisuke, by the way and this here is Veemon."

"Pleased to meet ya!" his blue friend added, giving a thumbs-up, "And you are?"

"Nonaka Rika, and this is Renamon," Rika motioned to her partner who bowed, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Akiyama Ryo and Justimon," Ryo chimed in, motioning at himself and his partner. Justimon nodded quaintly.

"I'm Suzie, and this is Lopmon," Suzie beamed cheerfully at Daisuke.

"The name's Kenta!"

"Kazou!"

"Ai!"

"Mako!"

"Impmon!"

The three partners greeted Daisuke in an odd but energetic manner, each one grabbing a hand to shake. Impmon resorted to patting him on the head furiously. By this time, the other digidestined joined them. They quickly exchanged greetings, only to be interrupted by Yamaki, "Sorry to interrupt the pleasantries, but I need to know if any of you have decided who'll be joining Takato?"

"We haven't really talked about it," TK replied back.

"I guess that's fine," Yamaki scowled, "It's been a long day for everyone. Why don't you kids head home and give me an answer tomorrow?"

There was a small murmur of agreement from among the teens, with the exception of Hikari who asked, "What about Takato? He can't exactly go home!"

"He can stay here and sleep in the lounge," one of Yamaki's agents explained, "I apologize in advance kiddo, but here is the only safe place for you in all of Japan. I hope that's alright."

Takato didn't sense anything akin to empathy or sympathy in the agent's voice but agreed anyway. The agent motioned for Takato to follow him while everyone else left out the other door. Then it dawned on Takato that his partner was not present, "Wait, Guilmo-"

"Don't worry, he and Terriermon wandered into one of the board rooms. They're locked in there now, just running around in circles," Yamaki assured him, "We'll let them out as soon as they've tired themselves out."

"Well don't hold your breath," Henry advised, "Those two won't be tiring out anytime soon."

"We'll see you all tomorrow," Yamaki dismissed them, "Don't come to us, we'll come to you."

The digidestined and Digimon Tamers said their goodbyes as they left, leaving Takato alone. One of the agents turned to Takato and motioned for him to follow, "This way. We've set up some blankets for you in the lounge."

As he led Takato out of the control, he gazed longingly after the others and wished he could join them. He didn't want to be alone at the moment. Knowing he was an internationally wanted criminal was not the most comforting of thoughts, especially when the fate of the world rested on his shoulders. A world that may not exist much longer given the Digital World was currently in orbit above Earth.

He wasn't sure why fate had a habit of putting him in these situations. He was only a high school student! He knew he had his friends to rely on, but they didn't seem to be in the best of moods. That night, as Takato tried to get some sleep, a sinking feeling of loneliness overtook him. He never felt more alone.

…………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

"So…"

"So…"

To say there was tension in the air would be an understatement. The Digidestined and the Tamers, had boarded the same train since both of them were going in the same general direction. Thankfully, there was no one else in the car except for them which meant the digimon could roam about freely as long as they weren't seen.

No one could foresee the friction that would fall between Jeri and herself. They ended up sitting on in the middle of the car on seats facing each other, engaging each other with an intense stare down. The others opted to distance themselves in the event of a fight, all moving towards the front of the car and watching the two girls with horrified anticipation.

"You're Takato's…" Hikari began, only to be cut off by Jeri, "Was…"

"Oh…"

"Yeah…"

"Why did you…"

"Because his family decided to expand their bakery by opening up another store."

"He did mention something about moving."

"Why did he take you to Shinjuku on a date?"

"It was my idea, he was from there and I wanted to go shopping."

"I see…"

"…"

More silence followed between the two. Hikari wasn't entirely sure what to say to Jeri, and she had an inkling Jeri felt the same. Hikari twiddled her fingers aimlessly, but did not break away from eye contact with Jeri. Looking into her eyes, Hikari saw a kind of suppressed hurt inside her. Hikari debated whether or not it would be best to empathize with her, or at least try to get to know her before she passed judgment on Jeri. Afterall, Takato was the one who asked her out, not the other way around. If Takato was already taken, the least he could have done was be honest about it from the get go.

"I…think we got off on the wrong foot," Jeri said first to break the silence, "Maybe…we should start over?"

"You do?" Hikari replied, amazed with the Jeri's directness. Jeri was caught between a small grin and frown, "If you don't think…"

"Oh! No! I do, but… well," Hikari paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before stating, "Hi, Yagami Hikari and my partner Gatomon."

"Katou Jeri," Jeri replied. Oddly, Jeri never introduced a digimon as her partner and instead folded her hands on her lap. Hikari's immediate thought was to ask, "Don't you have a digimon?"

Jeri's gaze instantly shot towards the floor, her bangs concealing her entire face. Hikari worried she upset Jeri and tried to apologize to her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's alright," Jeri interrupted, "It's just… my partner, Leomon, was killed…"

Hikari could see the tears welling up in Jeri's eyes, which she furiously tried to blink back to no avail. Jeri's reaction reminded Hikari of how TK once lost Patamon and Ken's loss of Wormmon. As temporary as these were, it left quite the impact on both of them. Hikari quickly hugged Jeri and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's alright," Jeri answered, "It was a long time ago…"

"But if Leomon was deleted," TK chimed in, "Wouldn't that mean his data would be reconfigured in Primary Village?"

"Primary what?"

"It's supposed to be the birthplace of all digimon," Ryo explained to Jeri and the other tamers, "But why would Leomon be there?"

"Because digimon aren't really capable of dying," Ken answered, "When they're returned to data, they reconfigure themselves as DigiEggs in Primary Village. Have you ever actually considered looking there?"

"Well, no," Jeri answered, "I've never even heard of it."

"We could always open up a digiport and take a look," Daisuke suggested, "The school's nearby and they always keep the back door unlocked."

"Okay then, its settled!" Miyako clapped her hands together cheerfully, "We go to Primary Village!"

"Guys, I hate to ruin the mood, but we do have a crisis at the moment. Maybe we should be thinking about whose going to accompany Takato on the wild goose chase?" Henry stated matter-of-factly, "I'm just as much for bonding as the next guy but the Digital Worlds is still above our heads and we still have seven evil digimon running around."

"Oh yeah, I guess that kind of slipped our minds," Miyako responded to the realization, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I vote Hikari."

"Same."

"Ditto."

"I vote Jeri," Rika frowned with dissatisfaction, shooting an evil glare at Hikari.

Ryo was quick to reprimand Rika, "Rika, let it go!"

"What? I'm just looking out for Jeri!" Rika defended herself, "Jeri has been nothing but devoted to him, after everything that's happened! How does Takato thank her! He does this… you know what I mean!"

Rika was pointing at Hikari apprehensively, a scowl on her face. Rika patted her on the shoulder and calmly said, "I know, but they called it off remember? Technically, he and Jeri weren't seeing each other anyway. It was their decision, right Jeri?"

Jeri appeared troubled at being thrown in the spotlight so suddenly but managed a nod, "Yeah. We did."

This seemed enough to prove Ryo's point and he added, "See? You're the only one who has a problem with what Takato did."

"But I—"

"I think Hikari should be the one," Jeri said to Rika, "I've already talked to Takato. Besides, I can tell he really likes you Hikari."

"He does?" Hikari paused, her heart picking up speed at the sound of the words. Jeri nodded, "When you know Takato like I know him, he's practically an open book. He's not very forward but it's easy to see how much he cares. I can honestly say he cares about you, Hikari, whether or not he wants to admit it."

"Are… you okay with that?" Hikari asked. Jeri nodded, "Yeah, I am."

Hikari smiled, but knew it wasn't enough to express how happy she felt despite the outcome being bitter sweet. She would be able to spend more time with Takato but only as a convicted felon. There was also the fear of her brother's well-being, knowing an evil digimon was using his body to fulfill its dark desires. Despite that, she felt certain Takato would somehow find a way to resolve everything.

…………

**Author's Notes: **Yawn, another chapter over and done with. Because of my commitment to my education, I will be taking the next few weeks off to catch up on my studies. My next update will be in eight weeks on Friday, March 26th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network (PSN ID: leo11235). Don't forget to check out my Resistance Sample. Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	17. Haunting Dreams

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! It's been a long eight week wait but I return with some long awaited presents. Or as long awaited as things can get given the fiasco with the previous chapter. I'll skip to the point and get to point: I am well aware of the issue with the previous update which caused all the punctuation marks to disappear. I looked into the issue and offered a temporary fix in the form of an email-able pdf file which I personally sent out to anyone who provided me with their email address. I really do apologize for that inconvenience, especially since it took the site admins some time to resolve the issue, whatever it was. Regardless, I thank all of you for baring with me at the time. And since I took that long, eight week break I was able to work on Takato's Light and Oyabun at my leisure. This resulted in fleshed out chapters that didn't feel rushed for me. And a special thanks goes to my beta who was able to edit both in no time flat. And now on to review responses:

**Tamara Caitlyn: **Really? Well happy birthday! If I can ask, how many years are you and what will you be doing for it? And again, I do apologize over the lack of punctuation as it was an error on the site's part. Thankfully, they were able to resolve it.

**Light-Sakura: **Thanks! I'm sorry I wasn't able to write the fic how I originally wanted to but I am glad you enjoyed it.

…**:** Again, I do apologize but that was the site's fault entirely.

**Salamander Hanzo: **Are you familiar with the Divine Comedy?

**Dracula Key: **I'm glad someone has figured out those types of scenes are intended to be comical, not perverted or adulterous. I do agree with you in the notion of the large cast. My hope is I was able to tone it down for this chapter.

**Starowner: **Or will he? Dun Dun DUNN!

**Kira The Wolf: **Again, I do apologize. I did everything I could and offered several solutions until the site resolved the problem. Please, do excuse the mess.

**----: **He is…well fudgy nut-winkles! It's a thing me and some friends made up in Middle School as a joke, don't judge.

**Tri-Emperor of the Twilight: **Really? Sounds cool. And now, just because I can: Estuans Interius Ira Vehementi! Estuans Interius Ira Vehementi! Sephiroth! Sephiroth!

**Inarx: **Wow! Four whole chapters? I'm glad you liked reading it so much!

**Himig: **You do if you're incredibly lazy! Like I am! Just kidding.

**Phantomparanoia: **I'm glad you liked it. Please continue to enjor perusing the rest of the works I have on display.

And so, without further ado, I present the next episodic installment of Takato's Light

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 17: Haunting Dreams**

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

It was a dream. It had to be a dream because it was the only rational explanation for his sudden ability to glide freely. Or as rational as possible when one's best friend was a monster from a parallel world. But this world was different. The world was covered in darkness, illuminated by a single glow somewhere in the distance. The same direction from which the chanting originated. He drew closer to the light, listening intently to strange gibberish they repeated aimlessly.

As the light came into better view, he realized the light was actually a lone figure standing amidst a crowd of figures in dark hoods. It was here that the group's chant broke off into two separate verses; one which ran to the same rhythm while the other reclined into a long chant.

A loud boom stopped the chanting and the worshippers in their tracks. Directly above the glowing figure, a ray of light shot through the darkness and illuminated the figures around their idol of worship. Takato instantly recognized the worshippers: Seraphimon, Lord HolyAngemon, Ophanimon, Cherubimon, Metal Seadramon, Sorcerymon, several Angemon and Angewomon, numerous Wizardmon, Lopmon, Salamon, and Patamon. The lower leveled rookies and champions scattered while the others remained petrified in fear. As the ray of light shone brighter, the other digimon were dissolved into nothing. It left the glowing idol alone to stare up at the light with a jealous gaze. It was a small, blonde haired boy of probably no more than five years draped in a long white robe. From the back of his robe, six white wings unfurled. The boy looked up at the light and seemingly spoke to it even though no words could be heard. Then the boy too disappeared, the bright light becoming too intense for him and shattering him into a cloud of dust.

The scene slowly faded away, and Tokyo slid into view. A neighborhood he recognized as Highton View Terrace was the backdrop for a battle between a Greymon and a Parrotmon. It was a brief struggle that ended in Parrotmon's favor, as Greymon collapsed beneath an overpass beside two children; an 8-year old boy and a 5 year-old girl. The girl tried to blow into a whistle but her tears were too much for her to overcome. The boy then grabbed the whistle from her and blew into it with all his might. The sound rang for miles around, and lights appeared in the surrounding apartments as many tenants came out to see the cause of the noise. Greymon then rose to his feet and attacked the Parrotmon with a blast of fire.

"Takato, wake up!" Takato jerked awake, quickly remembering he had fallen asleep in the lounge of the Hypnos HQ. Yamaki stood at the frame of the door, adorning the same sullen expression he usually wore, and motioned for him to follow.

……………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

The bell rang to signal the end of the school day. The students rushed to get outside the building, if for nothing than else than to continue gazing up at the phenomenon directly above them: The Digital World. Many recalled the previous time it appeared directly above them: when the Dark Masters seized control of the Digital World and planned to spread their rule to the Real World. And again, when MaloMyotismon plans for revenge came to fruition.

She met with the other digidestined and they took a train back to Shinjuku together to deliver their decision to Yamaki and bring Jeri to Primary Village. Their digimon lay hidden inside their backpacks in their In-Training forms to keep them from causing too much trouble. While they were doing their best to remain perfectly still, it was proving difficult since the bags would occasionally jerk to the side. The zippers were open to let them breathe in some fresh air.

Upamon was the first to whine to be let free, "Can't we get out now."

"I'm sorry Upamon, but not in a car full of people," Iori whispered back. Upamon replied with a simple, "Well you could at least move this text book. What is it…Al…geh…bura?

As Iori tried to console his partner, Hikari took note of the other passengers aboard the train. They were all too busy looking up at the Digital World above to care that Iori's backpack was inexplicably talking aloud.

_BEEP BOOP!_

"You're Attention Please! We Are Now Arriving At Chibuya Station! Please Stand Clear Of Doors And Allow Others To Enter/Exit The Car! Thank You For Your Cooperation!"

_BEEP BOOP!_

The train slid to a stop at the familiar Chibuya station and the doors swung open to let the passengers exit. Amidst the exchange of passengers leaving and entering the car, she heard the familiar voice of Koushiro chime, "Don't worry about it, the more the merrier."

"If you say so," Sakuya Asuka replied, "So where are you going any way?"

"Shinjuku," Koushiro replied, "I got an email saying I was supposed to meet someone there."

"An email? From a secret admirer maybe?" Asuka smirked. Koushiro ran a hand through his hair, "Not that I don't like the idea, but I don't get out often enough to have one."

"Don't sell yourself short Koushiro," Asuka told him sternly, "A good looking guy like you? I bet you have a ton of girls going after you."

"Yeah, I…wai- what?"

"Oh, nothing!" Asuka smiled mischievously. Her eyes in a far off trance.

"Hey Izzy," Miyako cried out cheerfully, "Whose your friend?"

"Huh? Hey guys, this is Asuka," Koushiro greeted the second generation of digidestined, "She's going with me to Shinjuku."

"You mean on a date?" Miyako grinned. Koushiro was quick to retort, "No! Nothing like that. Actually, I got a weird email telling me to meet someone there. So are you going to Shinjuku too?"

"Yep," Ken replied, "It's a very long story but maybe we can fill you in later."

"That's fine," Koushiro replied, "Have any of you heard from Takato?"

"Takato? You mean the kid getting the government is blaming?" Asuka asked curiously. Everyone reacted with immediate surprise to Asuka's comment, recalling the general sensitivity of the subject in such a public place. Asuka noted their reaction and sighed, "Don't tell me you believe that jazz do you? Come on! How could a High School student do this to Tokyo?"

"So, you don't believe Takato is responsible?" Hikari asked.

"A high school student!" Asuka repeated herself, "How does a High School student destroy most of Tokyo?"

"If she only knew," TK murmured to Hikari. He ran a hand through his hair and gazed out the window towards the Digital World above. Hikari wished everyone shared Asuka's line of thought if one could call it that. Her refusal to believe Takato was responsible hinged entirely on his status as a high school student. At the least, she didn't blame Takato.

_BEEP BOOP!_

"You're Attention Please! We Are Now Arriving At Shinjuku Station! Please Stand Clear Of Doors And Allow Others To Enter/Exit The Car! Thank You For Your Cooperation!"

_BEEP BOOP!_

The train grinded to a halt at the bustling Shijuku station and each of the Digidestined disembarked. Waiting for them at the station were Yamaki and the Tamer known as Ryo. Yamaki was busying himself with the cigarette in his mouth and the lighter he toyed with childishly. Ryo, on the other hand, was perusing a deck of cards similar to the ones owned by the other Tamers. When they approached, Ryo looked up and nudged Yamaki in the elbow. Yamaki saw them and nodded in their direction, "Who's your friend?"

"Huh?"

"The girl," Yamaki pointed at Asuka, "I'm pretty sure the message said come alone, Koushiro Izumi."

"Oh, this is Asuka," Koushiro said, "She asked to come along."

"Well, Miss Asuka," Yamaki stepped past towards the college student, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"What makes you think I'm going?" Asuka pouted at Yamaki. Yamaki frowned and removed his glasses, "I want you to listen to me very carefully."

Yamaki leaned in and whispered a message into the unsuspecting college student's ears. Slowly, her pout turned in awestruck terror and prompted her to wave good bye to Koushiro before boarding the train back to Chibuya. Everyone was surprised by Yamaki's persuasive ability, with Ryo commenting, "What exactly did you say to her?"

"Not important," Yamaki answered, "If you would all please come with me."

"Hang on, all of us? The email said it would be a one to one," Koushiro pointed out aggressively, something Yamaki took in stride. Without breaking his placid expression, he answered, "I lied."

"What is this about anyway?" Koushiro demanded, chasing after Yamaki as he led everyone out into a busy street where two white vans were waiting for them. Yamaki answered pointed upward, "It's about that. I apologize for the crudeness but organization is still in disarray from the earlier D-Reaper Incident and the higher ups are monitoring us more closely. Officially, we never met."

"Okay, but that doesn't really answer my question."

"I'll explain more once we're somewhere more private," Yamaki said, motioning for everyone to get inside the second van. Everyone boarded in a timely manner and departed the train station, "Now, have you decided who'll be going with Takato?"

……………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

They were considered the computer technology elite, experts in their fields of computer science. To a select few, they were known exclusively as the Monster Makers – six of the brightest minds in the world whose collective genius was enough to produce the Digital World, albeit almost entirely by accident. Takato watched the six programmers go about their work while he lay in a machine known as an MRI. The magnets passed over him several times before Shibumi finally let him out, "Okay, that should be it Takato. Thanks for the help."

"That's great but I didn't really do anything," Takato replied. Shibumi's smile didn't waver, "Every little thing helps Takato. Now we just need to wait on the results."

"The scans are no good," Curly said, "Most of the images are too distorted for analysis. We'll need to do this again another time."

"I was afraid of that," Shibumi replied.

"Afraid of what?"

"Hm? Oh nothing, it's just a theory we're working on," Shibumi reassured him, "You can go now, we have a lot of work to do here."

Shibumi escorted Takato out into the hall and closed the door behind him. Takato didn't know why they wanted an MRI scan of him or to what extent its purposes were but he wasn't about to argue the point. He pocketed his hands and proceeded down the hall towards the command center. On his arrival, he was greeting with a mix of a tackle and a hug from Guilmon, "Takatomon! The others are here!"

"That's great Guilmon! Get off!" Takato grunted under the weight of the red dinosaur. Realizing what it was doing, Guilmon hopped off Takato and excitedly explained, "Takatomon, they said they might be able to bring Leomon back!"

"Seriously?" Takato asked in disbelief, scanning the room for Jeri. He found her standing along side Rika and Henry with a glum yet anxious expression draped across her face. Jeri nodded in affirmation, stating, "The others said there's a chance Leomon is still alive in the Digital World."

"That's great news Jeri, I'm happy for you," Takato said with a cheerful smile. Jeri returned his smile with a nod, "Yamaki went to pickup the others. We're going to the Digital World as soon as they get here."

Takato truly felt happy for Jeri. Her grief stricken state from Leomon's death was still an event fresh in his own mind, as he recalled his own reaction to it. Megidramon, a horrible monstrosity of a digimon born out of the influence of Takato's blood lust on Guilmon. It twisted Guilmon into a horrible monstrosity that almost cost him everything he cared for.

_There is no need to fear what you always were and were always mean to be, _a voice echoed in his mind. For a brief moment, Takato felt sick to his stomach as the world started to spin. And then it passed as quickly as it came. Takato recalled that voice from the night of the attack, it was the voice of the man who guised himself as Taichi and took control of him. Takato ran a hand through his hair and shook his head in disbelief. He was probably over thinking things.

"Hey everyone! We're back!" Miyako greeted joyfully upon her arrival with the others. To Takato's surprise, Koushiro was with them but was entrapped in a stupor at the sight before him. Unperturbed, "Jeri! Are you ready to go? We'll be leaving soon!"

"Yes," she answered plainly.

"What's the matter? Aren't you excited?" Miyako asked curiously. Jeri smiled awkwardly, "I am, I'm just…anxious. If Leomon really is alive…"

"Don't worry about it!" Miyako patted Jeri on the back. Takato scrambled to his feet upon realizing he was still sitting on the floor.

"Whoa, I thought I imagined this whole thing! What is all this?" Koushiro excitedly asked after snapping out of his stupor. Like a child in a toy store, Koushiro ran to the first computer terminal he found and carefully inspected it, furiously typing away into the keyboard, "Prodigous! These computers are running on a 128-bit kernel! It's a whole generation ahead of consumer brand computers."

"Hey! Don't touch that!" Yamaki barked, "It's delicate equipment! Get away from the terminal now!"

"Oh, sorry," Koushiro apologized, "I got carried away. So, what is all this?"

"Hypnos, and that's all you need to know about us," Yamaki explained. His red-haired assistant appeared beside him. She was dressed in a dark grey business suit, a far cry from the white jump suit she normally wore while operating the advanced computer above them. Yamaki introduced the two briefly, "Koushiro, this is our Chief Operator, Riley. She'll be briefing."

"It's a please to meet you, Mr. Izumi," Riley greeted, "If you'll please come with me."

As Riley led Koushiro out of the room, Takato overheard Koushiro ask if Riley was a code name given to her. Takato didn't hear Whether or not Riley answered as they were already out the door. Yamaki then pulled Takato and Hikari aside from the group, stating, "Takato, the others have decided Hikari will be the one going with you. If you two could come with me, we can discuss the mission logistics."

"Okay, we're going guys," Hikari informed the other digidestined. Takato called to Guilmon, who raced to his side after quickly waving good bye to the others. Gatomon strolled towards them with a slower pace, before hopping into Hikari's arms and saying her good byes to the others as well. In particular, she said goodbye to Patamon who rested atop TK's head similar to how Terriermon usually sat atop Henry's head.

Yamaki's office was a far cry from the typical office one would expect the director of a agency to have. It was small, with enough room for his desk and a single keyboard. There were three chairs, one behind the desk and two before it. Aside from these, the office was entirely bare. Yamaki took a seat behind the desk and typed on to the keyboard. The bare wall behind him sprung to life, enveloped in a bright light displaying a large map of a region of the world he recognized as the Middle East.

"This is the country of Jordan," Yamaki explained, "I'm sure it goes without saying, but their country is already a political battlefield. I'd hate to say it, but we'd like you two to investigate a series of strange activities near the town of Dhiban. According to our observational satellites, there have been three hundred and fifty-two bio-emergences in the last forty-eight hours."

"Bio-emergence?" Hikari asked Takato curiously, to which he answered, "It's what they call a digimon entering the Real World."

"We're not sure if this is in anyway related to the emergence of those seven digimon the other night," Yamaki continued, "But it is a serious concern for us since the locals in the area are attributing it to the D-Reaper attack the other day. The government is under a lot of pressure to resolve this entire matter as quickly as possible, and my superiors are more than willing to throw the blame on me because of it."

"So you want us to find out what's going on," Takato clarified. Yamaki nodded, "Yes, and we think it might be connected to one of these digimon that appeared the other night. In particular, the one known as Belphemon. Several of our specialists combed everything we could on this Belphemon of the way the Digital World acts as a sort of reflection of the Real World. What we discovered was an ancient Moabitish god by the name of Belphegor who was later marked as a demon by future religions. I'll spare you the rest and say he was associated with orgies, laziness, innovation, ingenuity, and sloth."

"So go in, find Belphemon and stop him," Takato stated.

"And close whatever gate they're using to bioemerge," Yamaki added, "I'd send someone with you, but with the political situation the way it is: Japan can't afford to be implicated in anything. But I doubt you'll need any assistance from us anyway."

Yamaki smiled confidently in Takato's direction, patting him in the back and saying, "There's a helicopter on the roof of the building waiting to take you out to a transport which will take you straight to the location. We've already briefed everyone involved, and they'll be expecting your digimon. I'll take you up there but you're own your own from here. Any questions?"

Takato and Hikari exchanged glances, "Nope."

"Alright, and one more thing: We're doing this very low profile," Yamaki added, "Japan won't be directly involved but we will stay in touch. This means you two should try to blend in as much as possible. The last thing we need if for either of you to get captured."

"Right."

"Okay."

"Good. Come on, I'll take you upstairs," Yamaki rose from behind his chair and led them up the long flight of stairs to the top of the building. Waiting for them on the roof of one of the towers was a black helicopter whose blades were spinning at full speed. One of the pilots was handling the gas pump while the other was busy at the controls of the bird. Said pilot saw them and climbed out of the cockpit to meet them, "Sir! We're fueled and ready for lift off, sir."

"Good timing," Yamaki shouted over the roar of the chopper, pointing at Takato and Hikari, "These four are the cargo."

"Yes sir," the pilot saluted Yamaki. Yamaki patted Takato on the shoulder and left them in the care of the pilot. The pilot took them inside the chopper, "This way! We'll be taking off in two minutes! Take your seats and get ready!"

Takato and Hikari quickly complied, sitting beside each other and fastening their seatbelts. Gatomon leapt onto Hikari lap, purring contentedly as Hikari ruffled her fur. Guilmon sat across from them, taking up the entire seat opposite them. Guilmon fiddled with the seat belts, trying to fasten them over his already large body but failed and settled for tying them around his arms.

The pilot handed each of them what appeared to be a Bluetooth headset, "Take these! They're linked via satellite to command!"

Takato took his and fitted it to his ear. He switched it on and heard chatter coming through on the other end. Specifically, Yamaki was talking, "Okay people! Let's get this show on the road! No mess ups!"

Takato ignored them and turned his attention towards Hikari who silently ran her hand through Gatomon's coat. Takato hoped to break the silence between them by asking, "Nervous?"

"A little bit," Hikari answered glumly, "Um…Takato…are you okay with this? About me going with you, I mean?"

"No," Takato answered, "Why would I be?"

"I thought you might prefer to go with Jeri," Hikari answered sheepishly. Takato wasn't sure how to answer Hikari's ascertation since he didn't quite know the answer. He should've been easily able to tell Hikari he loved her but everything kept coming back to Jeri. Even Jeri gave her approval for their relationship so how come he couldn't bring himself to say it?

The helicopter gave a sudden jerk. The pilot who had been fueling the helicopter was now closing the doors and returning to his chair at the front, "Okay! We're clear! Take off!"

"Copy that!" the other pilot nodded. With another jerk, the helicopter took off and was airborne.

"Where are we going?" Takato asked the pilots, who remained content to simply not answer. Takato sighed at their silence and looked outside the window. His thoughts found themselves wandering back to Shibumi and the others who also chose not to answer Takato's question, much to his chagrin. What theory had they been testing that was so important?"

…………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

There was nothing but desert as far as the eye could see, with the only exception being the lone figure of Dhiban somewhere in the distance. Their small group had been walking towards it beneath the hot desert sun ever since they had been dropped off about a kilometer away so as to avoid any unwanted attention. Takato led the way with Digivice, or D-Arc as he called it, which was using some sort of radar to search for nearby digimon.

"Weird, I'm still not finding anything," Takato answered, tapping his digivice to see if that would help. To his clear dismay, it didn't and he groaned in frustration. As if to mimic his partner, Guilmon whined aloud, "It's hot!"

"I know buddy," Takato grunted. They continued forward towards the city in the distance, dragging on in silence beneath the torturous desert sun. After an hour's walk, they finally arrived inside the town only to find it barren of any life. It was roughly t in the afternoon local time, and yet there was nothing to suggest anyone lived here. Cars had been abandoned in the middle of the street, their doors open as if the drivers and passengers vacated in the middle of traffic. Fruit and vegetable stands lined the narrower streets, their contents spoiling beneath the unforgiving sun while insects feasted upon it.

"Where is everyone?" Gatomon asked aloud, running ahead of their small group, "I'm going to go look ahead!"

Hikari quickly chased after her digimon partner, "Gatomon! Wait up! It could be dangerous!"

Gatomon disappeared around a corner, with Hikari racing after her. Takato and Guilmon were in tow, leisurely catching up to the other two only to find them transfixed in awe at a strange figure before them. It was a grotesque, indescribable insult to nature made of rusted steel, flesh, bone, and cloth. As best as Takato could figure, it was supposed to be shaped into a tree or perhaps a hand made to point skyward. Whatever it was, it made Takato sick to his stomach. His new found nausea resulted in him throwing up in disgust.

Once Takato cleared his stomach contents, he took a glance at Hikari whose expression was a mix of resentment and despair, "Who could do this? How could any one do this?"

"Let's go," Takato said, pulling her away from the grotesque figure in the hopes of taking her mind off it, "We'll probably figure out what's going on elsewhere."

Unfortunately, a complete search of the town for the rest of the day proved fruitless. There were neither humans, nor digimon. It was as if the town's inhabitants simply vanished, but people simply didn't disappear into thin air. As the sun disappeared in the horizon, they took shelter in the first house they came upon which consisted of a living room, two bed rooms and a kitchen. In the kitchen were a microwave and fridge stocked with an assortment of foods, along with a pantry full of canned goods. In particular, canned rice and soybeans since it was the only canned food with a picture on the label. Takato couldn't recall the last time he had eaten and quickly scoured the kitchen for some bowls and silverware. Once he found what he needed, Takato prepared four bowls of rice and soybeans for himself and the others, "Hey guys! I made us something!"

"Yay!" Guilmon chimed happily grabbing a bowl and scarfing it down in seconds. Takato passed a bowl to Guilmon and offered one to Hikari who declined it, "No thanks."

"You have to eat something Hikari," Gatomon pointed out. She nibbled on her food slowly whilst Guilmon observed her longingly with his own empty plate. His stomach grumbled hungrily, the drool growing in dissatisfaction from the lack of food for him to eat. Takato keenly offered his own food to his starving partner, knowing he wouldn't need it as much. Guilmon graciously accepted his food and scarfed it down as quickly as he had his own food. Takato suddenly regretted allowing Guilmon to do such a thing but relented, deciding to at least get Hikari to eat something.

He offered the bowl one more time, to be answered with a stern, "I'm not hungry!"

"At least take a bite," Takato reasoned with Hikari. She waved him off and lay down on a mattress that rested in the corner of the living room, "I'm not hungry. Just let me close my eyes."

Takato frowned at Hikari's distant behavior but decided not to press the matter. He was hungry himself and good food would only go to waste if not eaten. At the same time, his own appetite disappeared and he set the plate aside on the ground. He sat down in a chair in the corner opposite of Hikari and stared out the window into the darkened city streets. As he did, the exhaustion from the day weighed heavy on him and he drifted off to sleep.

………………

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari could only see darkness in all directions. It was a cold reminder of the empty void of the Dark Ocean. Nothing as far as the eye could see. Then there was a light, it was dim but it drew her close because of the strange warmth radiating from it. As she drew closer, she came to realize the light was actually a person. A blonde person vaguely resembling Taichi with the sole exception being this person had six wings growing from his back.

Surrounding this immaculate figure were hundreds of cloaked figures who hid themselves in the shadows around the figure. The figures worshipped the glowing figure in the center, chanting in a strange language aloud. The blonde was reclined on his back, seemingly being lulled to sleep by the chanting of the others. Hikari observed their strange ritual then became aware she was not alone. Someone else was behind her, unnerving her enough to spin her around in fear, "Whose there?"

"Hikari?" Takato asked.

"Takato?" Hikari yelped in surprise. Why was Takato appearing in her dream here? She would have thought that if a boy appeared in her dream it would have been under some more romantic circumstances. Not this. Takato stepped past her and observed the ritual before them, "This dream again?"

"What do you mean?" Hikari inquired curiously. Takato shrugged, "I've had this dream before. It's a little weird to see you here, though."

"What are they doing?"

"I don't know," Takato said, "But I think that one in the middle is supposed to be Lucemon when Lord HolyAngemon said he rebelled against 'the creator'."

"So, we're seeing the past," Hikari concluded, watching as Lucemon slept peacefully in the center. In a way it reminded her of Taichi when she spied on him sleeping when they younger, usually before she woke him up as loudly as possible. Ironically, there was a loud boom that shook him awake and sent his many followers fleeing. A bright light shone from above, scattering the weaker followers while several higher leveled followers attempted to attack the ray of light.

They were defeated with little effort, leaving only the lone figure of Lucemon to stare up at the light spitefully. Then the light vanished, leaving only Lucemon, Takato and Hikari. Then Lucemon's body twisted and deformed itself into the shape of a large cat-like monster with horns growing hair out of his head. His six white angelic wings also deformed into large, leathery demon's wings. The horrific demon roared angrily and zoomed straight towards them.

"Um…Takato I think we should run," Hikari said, pulling on Takato's arms. Takato nodded and said, "I'm right behind you!"

Hikari took off at full speed with Takato in tow. Behind them, their giant pursuer opened his mouth out loud and cried, "Lampranthus!"

A blast of fire shot out of his mouth and just missed Takato by inches. Hikari could feel the heat of the fireball as it just barely missed her, "I thought this was a dream! Why aren't we awake yet?"

"I don't know! Just keep running!" Takato replied, pulling ahead of Hikari, "Where's Guilmon when you need…wait, this is a dream!"

Hikari realized what Takato meant and knew what it meant. She began to hope that Gatomon would appear in her strongest form: Ophanimon. No sooner than she made her wish, Ophanimon appeared along side her. Ophanimon was dressed in elegant jade armor, from which grew eight golden wings and a shield which covered only her left arm. Held in her right arm was a long golden javelin that was as long as she was tall. Hikari stopped in her tracks and commanded, "Now Ophanimon! Stop him!"

"Eden's Javelin!" she cried aloud, twirling the javelin over her head and aiming it straight at the charging monster who met her attack head first, "Dark Horn!"

The two attacks combined in the dark void, sending Hikari and Takato flying. Takato immediately grabbed Hikari midair and threw himself before her to break her fall. As they plummeted to the ground, a bright light engulfed them. The impact that should have followed never came, as their fall slowed and their landing became a soft thump on the ground. Hikari found herself in the arms of Takato's white armored digimon named Gallantmon as she recalled. Takato/Gallantmon lowered her gently to the ground, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Hikari stammered, amazed at Takato's ability to transform. Takato nodded, "Alright, wait here. Hang on Ophanimon!"

He leapt into the fray, joining Ophanimon in her fight against whatever monster this was. The monster seemed unfazed by the arrival of a new challenger, openly welcoming it aloud with a monstrous growl, "Yes! Throw everything you have at me! Awaken me from this nightmare!"

Hikari considered the meaning behind his cryptic comment and made the connection all too late to warn Takato. Lord HolyAngemon said Cherubimon the first was reverted into his rookie form where he was doomed to rest in an eternal nightmare. If that was the case, then this monster before them was Belphemon trying to awaken himself. She cried out to both Ophanimon and Gallantmon to stop, but was unable to prevent the inevitable, "STOP!"

AS she cried this, Gallantmon and Ophanimon were able to double team the monstrous Belphemon who slowly dissipated into data, "YES! I HAVE AWOKEN!"

"No!" Hikari cried out in despair. Gallantmon confronted her immediately, "Hikari! What happened!?"

"It's Belphemon!" she explained, "He was trying to get us to waken up!"

"What!?" Gallantmon asked, as the world around them began to shatter away. Bright lights broken through the darkness, illuminating the darkened void in a hallowed glow whilst Belphemon ascended upwards as he dissipated, "To be awa-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud ringing noise startled Hikari awake. Sunlight broke in through the windows illuminating the dim room. On her knees was Gatomon who had curled up to rest in a little ball. On the opposite end of the room in a chair was Takato who had fallen asleep by the window sill with Guilmon lying on the ground beside him.

At first, Hikari dismissed everything she heard as a dream until she became aware that the ringing did not originate from the house. It was coming from outside. A sudden but brief earthquake shook the room, startling everyone awake from their deep sleep. Guilmon scrambled up immediately, "WHOA! WHAT IS THIS TAKATOMON!?"

"It came from outside," Takato commented, looking out the window. Hikari got up and looked out the same window towards a small column of smoke. It was coming from the same location as the horrific statue they had all seen the day before. From over the skyline of buildings, Belphemon appeared in all his malevolent glory with a triumphant howl towards the sky. Surrounding him were dozens of Bakumon and DemiDevimon who swarmed around his large figure like a pest. Takato and Hikari swapped horrified looks at the realization of what they had done.

……………

**Author's Notes: **Hey folks. That's one more chapter over and done with. Once again, I do apologize for the fiasco with the previous chapter. My next update will be in eight weeks on Friday, May 21st. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network (PSN ID leo11235). Don't forget to check out my Resistance Sample. Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	18. Sloth

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Note: **HELLO FOLKS! I know it's been a long eight weeks but I've had a lot to do and most of that time was devoted to finals at NIU's School of Nursing. As I'm slowly learning, the health care system is designed to suck! But I digress, you all came here to read the latest installment in Takato's Light so let's get right into it. I personally feel this is my weakest chapter yet since I had to find a way to connect two major plot points which I told myself I would get to when I got to this point. First, thanks to Kells for betaing my fanfictions for me. Next, I want to get into the review responses:

**Phantom Paranoia: **I'm glad you liked it so much and hope you continue to enjoy future installments.

**Anitoon3: **Yamaki isn't at fault for Takato's trouble, other people just needed someone to blame and Takato was the only recognizable person. As for Yamato, I don't really know why you hate him. I tried to write him as friendly as possible while maintaining his stoic nature. As for Belphemon, he was trapped in an eternal dream and needed a great shock to wake him up. In this case: Takato deleted him. Ah well, I hope you enjoy future installments.

**LordPata: **I know, aren't I such a tease?

**Starowner: **Yes they are. They really are.

**Inarx: **Thank you kindly for the compliment

**Tamara Caitlyn: **Well happy fourteenth birthday Tamara and may you have many more to come. As the Takato/Hikari love, I am not very good with romance so bear with me as I write it.

**Phantom Paranoia: **Yes they are in the fic, but I'm not entirely sure they can biomerge. I may just try it though for kicks in the end.

**Light Sakura: **Well, you'll just have to wait and see won't you?

**Chaos Strife: **Wait…wha? I'm confused! Thanks for making my brain hurt! XD

Well that's it for now so let's get on with some reviews.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 18: Sloth**

(As Seen from Takato's Perspective)

"Takato, we…our vid-feed…going on…-ato can you hear…" Yamaki's voice crackled through the static over the radio. Takato pushed the button on the microphone, "Yamaki! I think we found Belphemon, we'll keep you posted!"

"-kato, say ag…audio feed…repeat," Yamaki's voice died out from the radio with a loud echoing click. Suddenly a loud whirring noise caused both Takato and Hikari to simultaneously rip the headsets out of their ears and throw them. They continued running through the empty streets, following the many Bakemon who whizzed over the head chanting a strange rhythmic phrase over and over again, "Donasdogama Micma Decepto!"

"What are they saying?" Gatomon asked aloud, trying to make her voice heard over the ritualistic Bakemon. Nobody could reply to the pale feline's question because nobody knew the answer. As they drew closer to whatever the Bakemon were swarming around, they found the air hot and heavy with the scent of death. It was a foreboding omen warning them to come no closer, even though they knew they had to.

Their path led them to the disfigured statue discovered the day before, struck apart by the monstrous Belphemon adorned in broken chains which he swung over his head violently. The statue was ablaze, echoing thousands of agonized screams that Belphemon reveled in, "Yes! Our return will be paved by the fires of darkness!"

Belphemon brought the chains crashing down on the square, producing an earth shattering shockwave that reduced the surrounding buildings to rubble. With a triumphant roar, Belphemon pulled himself up and out of the twisted monument and grunted, "I am free once more! Centuries of planning have culminated in my freedom!"

"We'll see about that," Takato retorted, "Ready Guilmon?"

"Ready!"

"Digimodify! Aero Wings Activate!" Takato swiped the card through his D-Arc and observed a pair of wings emerge from Guilmon's back. Point skyward at the Bakemon, Takato declared, "Alright Guilmon, take those guys out first."

Guilmon didn't hesitate to take to the air and engage the Bakemon. Despite their superior numbers, Guilmon easily darted and weaved through their attacks resulting in multiple incidents of friendly fire. Bakemon fell like rain, littering the ground with their would-be corpses before dissipating into data. Belphemon indulged himself on their data, growing in size as he absorbed more and more of their data, "YES! MORE! MORE!"

"Takato! Stop it!" Hikari declared, "He's absorbing the data!"

"Guilmon! Pull back!" Takato cried to his partner, who quickly rejoined the others on the ground, "Well, now what?"

"YOU RUN!" Belphemon growled, haphazardly breaking his bonds and storming towards the digidestined, "GIFT OF DARKNESS!"

A dark beam of energy shot out of his mouth. Takato pushed Hikari out of its path and the two hit the ground, watching in awe as the blast leveled a two-story building behind them. A dust cloud kicked up and obscured their surroundings. The ground shook with each step Belphemon took towards them, blowing a gust of wind which cleared the dust with a single flap of his many wings. Takato stood in amazement of Belphemon who was far more menacing than the other demon lords, granted he only encountered three of them thus far. Takato wanted to run but his legs refused to move, paralyzed in fear.

"Time to run!" Guilmon shouted, grabbing both Hikari and Takato in his arms while running away. Gatomon followed alongside them, running on all fours and keeping pace just ahead of Guilmon. From behind them, Takato heard Belphemon angrily declare, "Oh no you don't! LAMPRANTHUS!"

A wall of black flames erupted from the ground and followed after them, incinerating anything unfortunate enough to get in its path. Car frames melted under the intense heat, sand turned to glass, and plants caught fire. Takato realized the distance between them and their fiery doom was slowly closing so he gave Guilmon an added boost, "Gatomon, jump on! Digimodify! Speed Boost Activate!"

Gatomon grabbed onto Guilmon's back just in time for Guilmon to take up speed. The world disappeared into a blur. Guilmon continued running until the wall of fire dissipated into nothing, leaving behind scorched earth and incinerated city. Behind it was Belphemon stomping slowly after them. With a wave of his hand, a mass of Bakemon appeared behind him and charged forward cackling a bizarre chant aloud.

Guilmon set Hikari and Takato down, stooping down to with his arms resting on his knees. Gatomon leapt off Guilmon's back and proclaimed, "We can't run forever. Guilmon can't take it and I don't think Belphemon plans on giving up anytime soon."

"I can take him!" Guilmon retorted between gasps for air, "Just let me… catch my breath!"

"Gatomon, do you think you can warp digivolve to Mega?" Hikari asked. The white feline shrugged, "I've never tried but I think I can."

"Alright! GATOMON DIGIVOLVE!" Hikari pointed her digivice at Gatomon excitedly. Gatomon's body didn't react to the digivice, prompting Hikari to bemoan, "Okay, let's do it the old fashioned way. DIGIARMOR ENERGIZE!"

"Gatomon! Armor Digivolve To! Nefertimon!"

Nefertimon took to the sky and summoned a pillar of pink light from her back, "Rosetta Stone!"

A hail of stone tablets fired out of the pillar and hurled themselves upon the many Bakemon. The hundreds of Bakemon dissipated into clouds of data which Belphemon quickly absorbed. Hikari pointed this out to her partner, declaring, "Nefertimon! Stop destroying the Bakemon! You're making Belphemon stronger!"

"I'm trying!" Nefertimon cried, "There are too many Bakemon! I can't hit Belphemon!"

"That's right! Attack all you want! The Bakemon protect me and I grow stronger with each one you destroy!" Belphemon taunted, flaunting his newfound might by crumbling a building to dust with a mere punch.

"How do we beat him?" Hikari asked Takato. Takato shrugged with uncertainty, knowing full well any attack on Belphemon would be absorbed by the many Bakemon circling around him. Belphemon would then absorb their data and grow both larger and stronger. There had to be a weak point, something he could exploit, but Takato couldn't see one anywhere. There had to be something he was overlooking. Then it struck him, "Guilmon! Gatomon! Take out as many of those Bakemon as you can!"

"Are you crazy?" Nefertimon demanded, "You know that will only make Belphemon stronger!"

"Exactly," Takato answered, earning him perplexed looks from everyone present, "Look we're short on time so just trust me on this."

Nefertimon opened her mouth to reply but was cut short by Guilmon's loud agreement with his partner's plan, "Okay Takatomon."

Takato raised his D-Arc over his head and declared, "Digivolution Activate!"

Guilmon! Digivolve To! Growlmon!

Growlmon charged head first into the cloud of Bakemon, sending them scattering in all directions. Raising his weapons the blade-like projections above his head, Growlmon brought them crashing down while roaring, "Dragon Slash!"

Dozens of Bakemon dissolved into clouds of red data which Belphemon absorbed as easily as he always did. Belphemon remained unimpressed and simply laughed at Growlmon's efforts. Growlmon was unperturbed by Belphemon's taunts and continued his relentless attack, slicing his way through dozens of Bakemon. Growlmon's attacks did little to discourage the Bakemon who appeared just as quickly as Growlmon could delete them and continued their mindless chat.

"Let's give them a hand Nefertimon!" Hikari smirked, climbing aboard her winged partner and taking to the skies. Nefertimon ascended high into the air with several Bakemon chasing after her in tow. Nefertimon dodged and weaved through the many claws emerging from within their tiny arms, doing so with grace and ease. Once Nefertimon was out of range of their attacks, she spun around and fired a thin laser from her head dress, "Cat's Eye Beam!"

The beam cut through dozens of the Bakemon, reducing them to clouds of data Belphemon happily indulged in. The more data Belphemon absorbed, the greater in size he grew and the more spread out the Bakemon were to protect their master's large size. As Growlmon and Nefertimon continued their attacks, the more and more the Bakemon had to spread thin until eventually there were large holds in Belphemon's protective 'shield'.

"Oh, I see now, Takato," Hikari said from above, "Just keep attacking them Nefertimon!"

"Okay! Growlmon! Nefertimon! This is our chance, attack Belphemon!" Takato ordered. Nefertimon dove downwards and strafed Belphemon with her Rosetta Stone attack. Growlmon jumped backwards from the cloud of Bakemon and inquired, "Takatomon, are we going to-"

"Way ahead of you, buddy," Takato chimed in cheerily, already sifting through the dozens of cards in his deck in search of the famous blue card. Upon finding it, Takato swiped the card through his D-arc and declared, "Bio-Merge Activate!"

"Growlmon! BioMerge To! Gallantmon!"

With Takato and Growlmon biomerged as Gallantmon, he rushed straight towards Belphemon shield first. Belphemon laughed at their impending attack and fired his 'Gift of Darkness' attack straight at Gallantmon. Gallantmon lifted his shield up to absorb the attack, catching the brunt of it so and continued his forward charge, "Lightning Joust!"

A spear of lightning shot from the end of his lance and struck Belphemon's abdomen to little affect. Belphemon scratched the impact site and yawned amusedly, "Oh my, is there a draft in here by chance?"

"Nothing's touching him Gallantmon!" Hikari pointed out, clinging tightly to Nefertimon as she weaved through the dozens of Bakemon clawing at her while she continued her strafing runs to little affect. Belphemon continued to mock their attacks, laughing coldly at both Gallantmon and Nefertimon. Gallantmon relented momentarily, reconsidering his strategy since Belphemon was now attackable but was too strong to feel anything Gallantmon and Nefertimon threw at him.

He observed his surroundings for something he could use against the demon lord, but found nothing beyond ruined cars, crumbling buildings, split power cables, and abandoned market stalls. Gallantmon knew it would be futile but decided it was worth a try to pick up the nearest car and drop kick it in Belphemon's direction. It nailed Belphemon square in the chest and sent him reeling backwards several steps. Gallantmon was hopeful for a second and proceeded to throw a pickup at the demon.

Gallantmon expected this one to knock him over but Belphemon simply caught it between his hands and crushed it. Belphemon retaliated against Gallantmon's attack by picking up the trailer of a nearby semi and hurling it towards the Knight Digimon. Gallantmon dove under the trailer just in time to avoid it, seeing it fly over his head and crush the buildings behind him.

Gallantmon was thoroughly petrified by the destruction, frozen in place by the sheer display of strength. He was broken out of his stupor only after something hit him hard from behind, throwing him into the power cables and entangling him. As Gallantmon fiddled with the wires which ensnared him, Belphemon stormed forward towards him with his mouth wide open, "GIFT OF DARKNESS!"

Time slowed down as Gallantmont watched the beam of black energy close in on him. With Belphemon's enhanced strength, the attack would easily turn him into data. Gallantmon hurried to try and free himself of his restraint but found his efforts useless. The attack would hit him any second. With no way to free himself, Gallantmon braced himself for the worst.

……………

(As Seen From Jeri's Perspective)

Jeri followed the self proclaimed 'digi-destined' and their partners through the forests of the Digital World, with the Tamers following close behind her. As they decided to take their time traveling through the forest, Jeri took in as much of the beauty of the Digital World as she could while contemplating the possibility of Leomon being alive. It had been too long since she was last here and she was caught up in the nostalgia of the moment. However, she would not let that distract her from the reason she was in the Digital World: Leomon. If what the others said was true, then there was a chance that Leomon was alive.

Jeri had been looking forward to seeing her digimon partner again and was ecstatic to know that in a few short minutes, they would be reunited. However, a single thought continued to plague her throughout the entire trek. Quite simply, what if Leomon wasn't there? Jeri tried not to think about it and maintained her optimism which wasn't too hard given the moods of everyone present.

"So Jeri," Miyako inquired slyly, appearing from behind her somehow, "Tell me, how long were you and Takato been dating?"

"I don't think now's a good time to talk about that, Miyako," Ken answered, "Am I right Jeri?"

"It's fine, really," Jeri replied. Even though she and Takato were an item in the past, she wasn't petty enough to fight with Takato over it. Yes, she was hurt to find out he and Hikari were on a date the day they ran into each other but she wasn't going to hold it against him. It wasn't because she didn't care about Takato, by all means she loved him. The active word being 'loved', but it felt as if their time apart weakened their relationship. Maybe they just drifted apart without knowing it.

Jeri realized Miyako was leaning in expectantly for an answer and quickly answered, "We started dating in Junior High."

"Oh ho! So you've known each other for a while!" Miyako concluded, clasping her hands together in delight.

"Since we were in primary school, but we never really talked until we were ten," Jeri answered sheepishly. It was an answer that made Miyako squeal with delight, "Eee! So you're childhood friends!"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Jeri shrugged. Miyako clasped her hands around Jeri's and added, "That is so romantic! I'm so sorry things didn't work out!"

"It's alright, really," Jeri's replied dismissively, "I'm over it."

"No! I will get you two back together, even if it kills me!" Miyako swore loudly, pointing aimlessly at the sky for no reason. As if fate heard her remark, a large nut from a nearby tree broke from its stem and barely missed Miyako's head. It landed with a loud thud and sent Miyako hiding behind Jeri fearfully, "Okay, I take it back! I don't want to die!"

"Miyako, maybe playing matchmaker wouldn't be your best idea," Ken pointed out. It was a fact Miyako heartily agreed with, "Yeah, you're right!"

"If you guys are done clowning around, primary village should be just over this hill," Takeru pointed towards a small hill directly ahead of them. The team continued on in silence, they finally reached the edge of the forest and found the end of the thick foliage which gave them their first glimpse of the Digital World's Horizon. It was the same blue haze they were all familiar with, with streams of 1's and 0's floating aimlessly above. There was one change that they did anticipate seeing but not in the way the expected:

It was the Real World, floating directly above them. However, there were streaks of fire zigzagging back and forth in a strange pattern like the tectonic plates that made the Earth's crust. They were all caught up in the horrific view above them, except for Ken who instantly took a picture with his D-Terminal and began typing a message furiously.

"What are you doing Ken?" Daisuke demanded.

"Contacting Izzy," Ken answered nonchalantly, "He probably knows what's go-"

Before Ken could finish, there was a bright flash that blinded all of everyone momentarily. As their vision slowly returned, they looked back up to find the Real World twisted into a strange mockery of its former self. The oceans were red and the land was pitch black, illuminated only by the lights of what Jeri assumed to be the various cities which populated the planet. It was hauntingly beautiful in a twisted sort of way. Jeri was unable to avert her eyes from it and she was sure no one else could either. There was nothing to explain what just happened.

……………

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

_Not yet! _A voice echoed inside Takato's mind.

Gallantmon's eyes were closed in anticipation of Belphemon's attack which never came. He took a peak at his impending doom to find Belphemon's head on the side of a building. His initial thought was someone mounted Belphemon's head like a trophy when he wasn't looking. On further inspection, Takato realized his head wasn't mounted. On the contrary, it appeared as if Belphemon's head fused itself into the wall along with his hands and part of his right wing. Gallantmon was trying to make sense of what he was looking at and promptly folded his arms across his chest in deep thought.

Wait! Did he just move his arms?

Gallantmon examined himself closely and found the wires which were holding him moments before were gone. What exactly happened? He normally wouldn't complain about circumstances but nothing he could think of reasonably explained why his arms were now free, why Belphemon's head was now fused into a building, how the building got there in the first place, or what exactly was going on.

"Gallantmon!" Hikari screamed from above as Nefertimon descended to rejoin them. When Gallantmon looked up to see her, he found the skies turned crimson red with ominous dark clouds scattered into twisted shapes and patterns.

"Hikari, are you alright?" Gallantmon asked. The teenaged-girl nodded, "You?"

"I think I'm alright," Gallantmon answered sheepishly. He inspected himself over one more time to make sure he was alright. Nothing was adding up about what happened, but he was sure Belphemon had some answers. He turned towards the demon lord and demanded, "Okay Belphemon, tell us what's going on!"

Belphemon smirked, "Heh! You would like that wouldn't you! But that would ruin the surprise! Everything until this point has all been for the glory of Lord Lucemon and I'll delete myself before I tell you anything!"

"You're not going to delete yourself," Gallantmon replied, "You can't. You're part of this building now…I think."

"Heh, a mere stroke of luck," Belphemon grunted distastefully, "If you were just a mere two feet more to the left, you would have been in my position when the worlds merged."

"What do you mean, when the worlds merged?" Gallantmon asked, "Does this have anything to do with that infinite singularity thing that Azulongmon mentioned?"

"I've said too much," Belphemon grunted, "But I cannot give away the plan! I'd rather….rather…rather…"

Before Belphemon could finish his sentence, he stopped moving. His head, arms and wings all grew limp; disappearing into a cloud of red data which disappeared before Gallantmon could absorb it. Annoyed, Gallantmon pounded his fist against the side of the building, causing it tremble from the sheer force of his attack, "Dammit!"

"Gallantmon…" Hikari frowned. Gallantmon quickly composed himself and reversed the biomerge back into Takato and Guilmon. Takato paced furiously, his mind trying to wrap itself around Lucemon's plans and what exactly happened. What did Belphemon mean by the worlds merging? Was it possible he was referring to that snowglobe idea? But then why would a building magically appear in front of them? Wouldn't the two worlds be exactly alike?

Takato took a deep breath to calm himself down and plainly said, "We'd better find our radios and contact Yamaki. Tell him the mission's accomplished."

"Right," Hikari nodded. The four of them tried to retrace their steps through the ruined streets but found none of the city streets resembled their previous appearance. The road they had taken to flee from Belphemon and his many Bakemon now turned and winded in unexpected intervals instead of being a straight run. As they continued further, they found what appeared to be a car and a pickup melded together in a strange Euclidian joke. They followed the road all the way to the end but didn't find any sign of the strange statue they found yesterday or a trail of destruction left in the wake of their battle.

In fact, nothing resembled the town they were in. Was it a part of the 'worlds merging' Belphemon referenced. Takato wasn't sure but kept a mental note of it in the back of his mind just in case. As the four of them continued their search for the radios, they found themselves exploring the entire deserted town once again but to no avail as the entire cityscape had changed. Nothing was as they remembered it.

As night began to fall, they decided to set up camp inside another one of the houses. As with the rest of the twisted geometry of the village, they found the building to be a complete mess. Half of the floor was elevated roughly two feet higher than the rest, accompanied with a strange mesh of various wall papers and paints that overlapped and disappeared as if someone had tried carious decorating styles but didn't finish any of them. Even more perplexing was the layout of the rooms: there was a tub half way through a wall in the kitchen, a fridge fused halfway through the first floor ceiling and the carpet of a second floor bedroom.

In addition, they found a sofa with a stove sewn through it located beside a television with what appeared to be a sink melded into the top. Takato supposed the occupants were interior decorators with a strange taste in design. It was a shame the owners weren't around so he could ask them. Takato felt a growl in his stomach and recalled he hadn't eaten anything since the night before so he rummaged through the kitchen for something he could eat. He rummaged through the pantry and found it to be a greater mess than the rest of the house. All of the intact cans had a various mix of labels ranging from spam to creamed corn and dried tofu. The broken and destroyed cans were leaking a foul smelling black goop.

Takato hoped all of the cans weren't like this and reluctantly opened a can of peas with a pull tab. Inside, he found the can to be filled with spam peppered in chick peas and diced onions. It also smelled of cat urine that instantly turned him away from it. Takato frowned and set the can aside, distraught to find nothing he could eat. He sighed and returned to the living room where he found Hikari resting on a couch, fluffing Gatomon's fur. Beside them was Guilmon sniffing the ground like a dog in search of some unknown treasure

"There's nothing we can eat in the kitchen," Takato pointed out.

"It's okay, I'm not hungry," Hikari replied, "So now what?"

"I don't know," Takato frowned, "We're miles from home in one of the most messed up places I've ever seen and we have no way of contacting Yamaki."

"We could try going to the nearest city," Hikari offered.

"If we had something to work on," Gatomon answered pessimistically, "We don't know which way is north and we don't know where the nearest city is. We could be wandering for days before we reach civilization."

Takato tried to respond but was stopped by his D-Arc suddenly whirring to life with a loud beeping noise. Takato examined it carefully and found the Digimon tracker had gone berserk, swinging from side to side aimlessly in search of some unseen foe. Hikari and Gatomon peered at it carefully, watching in amazement as the arrow jumped around from one direction to another.

"Someone's outside," Guilmon growled at the door, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. Without warning, Guilmon charged out the door. Takato chased after him outside and found a man in a trench coat waiting outside for them. One glimpse was all Takato needed to realize he was staring at Hikari's brother, who was busy marveling at the Digital World, "Look, isn't it beautiful? The coming advent!"

"Takato, what's-" Hikari stopped as she appeared beside Takato and asked, "Taichi!"

Hikari took a step towards her brother and Takato immediately stopped her, "Taichi, how did you get here? You're supposed to be-"

"I am," Taichi replied, "I'm borrowing your friend's body for the time being. You'll get him back as soon as…well, that would ruin the surprise."

"So it's Lucemon then," Takato affirmed. Taichi smiled, "You're pretty slow, even by human standards. Not that it matters since it will only make my job easier."

"What are you talking about?" Takato demanded. Taichi/Lucemon snapped his fingers and Hikari suddenly levitated off the ground. A pink sphere appeared around her, holding her safely while it floated towards Lucemon/Taichi, "Allow me to give you a gentle nudge in the right direction."

Behind Lucemon/Taichi, a black door arose out of the group. It was supported by two bony hands which were covered in thousands of miniature sculptures of digimon all posed in agonizing pain. Over the top of the door was a stone archway with an inscription engraved upon it:

_Per me si passa nella città di dolore:__  
__Per me si passa nel dolore eterno:__  
__Attraverso di me tra la perduta gente per sempre.___

_Giustizia, il fondatore del mio tessuto mov'd:__  
__A posteriori mi è stato il compito della divina potenza,__  
__Supprema saggezza e amore primordiale.___

_Prima di me le cose creare n'erano, salvare le cose__  
__Eterna, e io eterna duro.__  
__Lasciate ogne speranza voi che entrate._

Lucemon/Taichi and Hikari approached the doors that swung open to a gust of strong wind and thousands of agonizing screams, "If you want to save your friend, you'll follow me."

Lucemon and Hikari disappeared into the doorway, as Hikari screamed back at the others, "TAKATO!"

"Hikari!" Takato raced after them, "Guilmon! Let's go!"

"Hey! Wait!" Gatomon cried. Guilmon and Gatomon ran alongside Takato together as they raced through the doors, unaware of what awaited them on the other side.

……………

**Author's Note: **Hey folks. That's one more chapter over and done with. Once again, I do apologize for the fiasco with the previous chapter. My next update will be in eight weeks on Friday, July 16th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network (PSN ID leo11235). Don't forget to check out my Resistance Sample. Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	19. Nine Circles

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing the story for him.

**Author's Note: **Hello, good evening, and potato to all you happy readers out there. Before I start this chapter I have some distressing news I want to share with you all: The US Supreme Court will be reviewing a California Case regarding the protection of Video Games under the First Amendment. Should they decide the First Amendment does not appeal to videogames, an unprecedented change in the industry affecting all gamers will follow. Not just minors, but casual gamers, hard core gamers, even foreign gamers. I implore you, as friends and fellow gamers, to sign the petition hosted at Entertainment Consumer's Action. Why? Because if the Supreme Court rules against us, we could see vast restrictions on videogames the likes we've never seen. Our favorite videogames could very well disappear from shelves, future titles face cancellation mid-production, and many others will never even see the light of proposal. Friends, put aside the petty fanboy allegiances that splinter us. Together, gaming can see a future brighter than other.

I apologize for rambling, but this is a cause that is very dear to my heart. Moving along, I feel this chapter is one of my strongest yet. Why? Because I rewrote the entire thing from scratch several times before I was pleased enough to let my beta proof it. I hope you enjoy this installment, and want to thank you all for making it this far with me. It's been an amazing two years writing Takato's Light and I hope you're all having a good time. I want to offer a special thanks to Kells for agreeing to beta for me. And now, some review responses:

**Phantomparanoia: **How's your story coming along? I've tried to read through it in my spare time but I haven't had much chance to look at it since we've spoken. I hope it's going well.

**Chm01: **It's actually an old phrase from the Enochian Language. It has been described as the Angelic language or the language of angels. When translated, it can mean: "Behold! The Hell Fire!" or "Behold the Deceptions of Hell!" and various other things. I'm not exactly clear on its meaning.

**Anitoon3: **I'm glad you enjoyed it, and hope you have fun with this chapter as well.

**Light-Sakura: **We hurt the one's we love. Except I don't love you. I just like to hurt you! I kid, seriously, I apologize. It just helps the story flow better.

**Tamara Caitlyn: **You know my plans! You have made a powerful enemy my friend! Don't go to sleep tonight.

**Starowner: **Aah! I used a tired cliché! I really need to stop letting Hikari be kidnapped all the time. Maybe I'm sexist, I dunno.

**Crest Power Combining: **As an author, I can't comment on what I plan to do later in the series. However, I will say you're not far from the mark which will drastically change how the story will end.

**Hanzo of the Salamander: **Well, then you'll love this chapter. It just rips off a famous poem! Hooray me!

And now, I present the continuation of Takato's Light.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 19: Nine Circles**

(As Seen From Jeri's Perspective)

When they got over the hill, they discovered a gray wasteland stretching out for miles before them. There were neither digimon nor signs of a village, disappointing Jeri greatly. She knew better than to get her hopes up but she looking forward to seeing her partner again.

"This isn't right," Takeru said first, "We're in the right spot, so where's primary village?"

"We should be asking that question," Rika commented coldly, her tone frightening several of the tamers and the destined. Only Daisuke seemed undisturbed by her attitude, "How should we know? It's always been right here?"

"Something doesn't feel right," Ken quietly murmured, suddenly folding his arms across his chest and shivering, "Is it getting colder?"

There was a general consensus amongst everyone that the air was in fact cooling. In addition, Jeri realized a soft, black mist was starting to roll past their feet. Before she could ask, Ken let out a loud wail. He fell to his knees, clutching his head between his hands while screaming, "NO!"

"Ken, what's wrong?" Miyako asked her boyfriend. Ken didn't respond. Somewhere in the distance, Jeri heard waves crashing. Looking back across the wasteland, she discovered it had filled with black water in a ridiculously short amount of time. She knew the digital world wasn't fully understood, but some things were just unreasonable. And the present circumstances were no exception.

"The Dark Ocean…" Iori said aloud, staring out in disbelief at it.

"The what?"

"The Dark Ocean. It exists between the Real World and Digital World," Takeru explained, "It's a place where all the darkness we've ever fought comes from."

"But how did we get here?" Kenta demanded fretfully, "I thought we were going to Primary Village!"

"Don't look at us," TK shrugged, "It's not like we want to be here. The Dark Ocean usually pulls us when it wants to. I wonder why it would pull us in now?"

All the digidestined pondered why they were pulled from the Digital World to the Dark Ocean. None of them could fathom a reason for why, however, they received a clue in the form of a grizzled voice in the distance, "Through me the way to the city of woe, through me the way to everlasting pain, through me the way among the lost."

Their group looked far down the shore where they sighted a large gathering boarding an even larger vessel. They all exchanged worried glances, weary of whatever was going on below. Unbeknownst to either the Tamers or the DigiDestined, a pair of red eyes watched from the shadows.

…

(As Seen From Yamaki's Perspective)

"Matsuki! Come in!" Yamaki yelled into the microphone angrily, "Yagami! Come in! Can anyone hear me? Anyone!"

"It's useless sir!" Riley pleaded, "We can't get a signal from any of our satellites. The entire long range communications network is down."

Yamaki cursed under his breath and smashed his fist against the computer terminal, "You mean to tell me we've lost contact with two kids who are a hundred miles from the nearest Japanese consulate?"

"They can take care of themselves Yamaki," Riley offered, "Don't worry."

"It's not them I'm worried about," Yamaki moaned, "The Prime Minister and the Diet are already down my throat because of the D-Reaper incident. The last thing they'll want to hear is 'I lost two kids somewhere in the Middle East'. This is the Devas fiasco all over again. Are the others making any head way?"

"I'll contact them now," Riley replied, typing away furiously on the keyboard. Yamaki was never the easily stressed type but the recent string of events was anything but relaxing. A ferocious earthquake tore apart most of Tokyo, only for the sky to turn red and the oceans black. To make it worse, power plants nationwide suffered an unprecedented failure robbing the entire country of power. Were it not for the emergency generators in the building, nothing in Hypnos would be working. However, the limited fuel supplies meant they could only do so much at a time before exhausting what remained. Even though it wasn't allowed inside the main control room, Yamaki allowed himself a reprieve of protocol to have a cigarette. For now, all he could do was hope for the better.

…

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Takato, Gatomon and Guilmon came into a familiar monochrome beach. The air was cold and the waters were still; and it seemed the world was lifeless all around them. There was a dense fog with obscured most of their view, penetrated only by a black light which passed every so often. Somewhere, in the distance, a grizzled voice spoke aloud but was too far away to make any sense. Worried for Hikari's well being, they all silently followed the voice in the hope of finding her. Instead, they came upon a hooded figured adorned in white clothes beholding a large gathering of digimon boarding a large boat made of bones.

"Gennai?" Gatomon called out to the hooded man, who turned around in surprise, "Gatomon? I didn't expect you to be here."

"I could say the same," Gatomon replied, "How'd you get here?"

"Azulongmon asked me to look into why the data from deleted digimon wasn't reformatting in primary village. When I got there, I found a weakness in the barrier separating the worlds. I stepped through and it led me here," Gennai explained, "And you?"

"Lucemon kidnapped Hikari!" Gatomon answered urgently, "He took her through a door and we followed."

"I see. Lucemon seems to be jumping from world to world a lot lately," Gennai commented, "But he's not taking the established digiports or gates. He's making new paths each time he jumps from world to world…I knew Lucemon was powerful, but I never knew he was that powerful."

"So what exactly is going?" Takato asked, pointing towards the large boat. Gennai shrugged cluelessly and explained, "One of my counterparts, Charon, appeared and told everyone to start boarding the boat. After that, he just started chanting the same ten lines over and over again."

Takato, Gatomon and Guilmon listened intently to the voice of Charon, which boomed from within the stern of the ship, "Through me the way to the city of woe, through me the way to everlasting pain, through me the way among the lost. Justice moved my maker on high. Divine power made me, wisdom supreme, and primal love. Before me nothing was but things eternal, and eternal I endure. Abandon all hope, you who enter here."

As he listened, Takato observed the crowd who proceeded to board the ship. Among them who saw countless people, many he recalled as some of the locales from Odaiba. The rest were digimon of all shapes and size. They all silently boarded the ship, none of them casting their gaze away from the large vessel before them. They were all silent and lifeless, but the oddest feature was the loss of color. Takato caught a glimpse of an anthropomorphic lion in black pants amidst the large crowd.

"Leomon," Takato said aloud, rushing into the crowd after Leomon. Takato followed after him thoughtlessly, pushing way through the large crowd towards Jeri's partner. When he was close to Leomon, Takato reached out to him but found his hand slid right through Leomon. Upon closer inspection, Takato realized that several of the people and digimon were passing right through him as they boarded the vessel.

"Takatomon!" Guilmon squealed when the red dinosaur finally caught up. With him were both Gatomon and Gennai. Gennai promptly asked, "What are you doing? This isn't safe! We're—"

"You who are living! Be gone from the damned!" Charon proclaimed from atop his boat, "There is no place for you here!"

"Charon! It's me, Gennai!" Gennai called out to Charon, "What are you doing!"

"Gennai? Still serving the Sovereigns I see," Charon scoffed, "You should join us. Lord Lucemon has enlightened us to the true nature of The Creator."

"Charon! You know as well as I do that Lucemon is full of lies!" Gennai reminded Charon, "Stop this, right now!"

"I no longer heed your orders, Gennai. I have duties to attend to," Charon dismissed carelessly, disappearing into the steering stern, "Enjoy yourselves while you can! Through me the way to the city of woe, through me the way to everlasting pain, through me the way among the lost!"

"This is bad. Lucemon corrupted Charon's data," Gennai explained. The boat gave a sudden lurch forward and drifted into the ocean, losing itself into the thick fog.

"We have to get back!" Guilmon cried aloud, running towards the edge of the deck.

"That's not a good idea," Gennai explained while grabbing him, "This fog is too thick. If you get lost, you'll never find your way back to the shore! We should just wait until we get to this ship's destination."

Takato agreed heartily with Gennai's suggestion but was uncertain of the destination they were going to. What did Charon mean by the damned? That didn't make any sense in his mind. All he could do was wait and see where Charon took them.

Hours must have passed as the boat slowly made its way to its destination. The only sound came from Charon mind numbingly repeating his wretched speech. At the end of those long hours, a tower illuminated by a black light came into the distance. It stretched out into the clouds and disappeared into its stormy might, circled by the menacing figures of the Devidramon. At the base of the tower was a large pier that the ferry approached slowly before docking. Immediately, the passengers started disembarking for the pier where a single Phantomon began shepherding them with his scythe, "Move! Your judgment awaits!"

Takato and the others followed the large group, down the pier and up a narrow flight of stairs were a loud menacing voice could be heard echoing aloud. The air grew colder with each step they took, until finally Takato was shivering furiously, "Aren't y-you c-c-cold Gen-n-nai?"

"No," he answered, "I'm just data and lack any of the attributes of a digimon."

"G-g-reat," Takato said, jealous of Gennai's inability to feel cold. Eventually, they came to the top of the stairs where the crowd had gathered around a raised pedestal where another hooded man, akin to Gennai and Charon, was busy reading through a book. Before him was an Elecmon who quivered fearfully before the man. After a few moments, the man declared, "Violence unto others!"

"No! No! Please!" Elecmon begged as he fell through a hole that appeared in the floor. The hooded man was unimpressed by Elecmon's display and casually said, "NE-…Gennai? Can it be?"

"Minos!" Gennai called out to the hooded man, "Don't tell me you're working for Lord Lucemon."

"It's better than enslavement to The Sovereigns. Lord Lucemon rewards my service and all he asks is that others know how he suffered," Minos declared with an air of pride, "Not that you would know, Gennai. But you will! Lord Lucemon has special torture just for you. All of you! Devimon Corps! Seize them!"

Three Devimon descended from the skies and attacked, "Razor Wing!"

Beams of energy extended from their wings and struck the floor around them, scattering the crowd down the stairs. Takato whipped out his D-Arc and said, "Okay Guilmon! Take them out!"

"PYROSPHERE!" Guilmon spat out four fireballs towards the sky, blanketing the sky with his attacks. One of the Devimon swooped down and attacked without regard for the crowd, "Death Claw!"

Two clawed hands drove themselves into the ground and crushed some of the poor souls in the crowd. They screamed in agony as the attack turned them to dust. Gatomon saw her chance and raced up the Devimon's arms to strike a deadly blow to his torso, "LIGHTNING PAW!"

The Devimon wailed in horror before dissolving into data. Gatomon dove for the ground and landed on all fours atop another soul. As another Devimon came in for the attack, Takato realized they could not continue the battle with so many people here, "Guys we have to get out of here!"

"Why? We can take them!" Gatomon protested, swinging at another low flying Devimon. Her attack missed it mark and caused more innocents to be clipped by the Devimon's attack. Gatomon apparently realized Takato's intent and changed her mind, "Okay, let's go!"

"Come on, this way!" Takato raced through the crowd towards Minos who stepped out of his path. Behind Minos, he spotted a narrow bridge connecting the tower towards a fissure in the cliff face. A small glimmer of purple light was visible from beyond, with a loud echoing wind. Takato ran full force for the fissure, stopping at the end of the bridge to say, "Cover our escape Guilmon!"

"Pyrosphere!" Guilmon fired another wave of fireballs into the sky which sent the Devimon scattering. Once Gatomon and Gennai were within the narrow ravine, Takato and Guilmon followed suit. It was narrow to the point of being wide enough for Guilmon to the pass through sideways. The Devimon were unable to continue their pursuit for their wings were too wide for the narrow ravine. They had escaped danger for the time being.

"Gennai, do you have any idea what is going on?" Gatomon demanded furiously, "Aren't Minos and Charon supposed to be your copies? Why are they helping Lucemon!"

"I can't honestly say I know Gatomon," Gennai pleaded, "But knowing how powerful Lucemon is, I wouldn't put it past him to corrupt the data of beings like myself. And if he can do that, imagine what he can do to entire worlds."

It was not a prospect Takato wanted to imagine at the moment. The faint whistling of wind could be heard as they progressed further and further towards the light. At the end of the long trench, they came upon a vast valley swallowed by dark, purple storm clouds. Strong winds created a frenzy and swept away anyone unlucky enough to be in its reach. In the distance stood a long, black tower illuminated at the top by a purple beam of light.

"What is this?" Guilmon asked as what appeared to be an Agumon wearing a red scarf and Biyomon flew past, blown by the strong winds. As the two digimon reached out towards one another, a large boulder appeared and flattened the Agumon. The Biyomon shrieked in horror only to be swatted away by an Airdramon who cut through the strong winds like a jagged knife. Mounted atop the Airdramon was a pale man with flowing white hair and great red wings. He dressed himself in spiked leather pants and boots, and a gold mask lined with three pairs of glowing red eyes. Guilmon growled at the digimon who waved away the Rookie with a greeting, "I am NeoDevimon. I was sent here to escort you safely to Lord Daemon."

"Daemon sent you!" Gatomon accused, baring her pawed gloves dangerously. NeoDevimon shook his head, "I was called upon by a mutual ally. I assure you, my intentions are pure."

"Right, and we're supposed to believe that?" Takato crossed his arms, "Your friends back there just tried to kill us."

"Lucemon's influence is everywhere, so I don't blame you for your suspicions'," NeoDevimon replied, "But without my help, you will never be able to traverse the nine circles of the Dark Ocean."

"Nine Circles? This is supposed to be a world composed of a single ocean!" Gennai corrected. NeoDevimon frowned, "Please, climb aboard quickly. I would explain more but Daemon's followers are still searching for you. This is not the place to reflect."

As if on cue, a swarm of Vilemon descended from the skies and attacked. Two of them grabbed Gatomon by the arms and tried to carry her away, only to be cut apart by Gatomon's lightning claw. Several others were scratching away at Guilmon who swiped his arms and flailed his tail to little effect. Takato reached for his D-Arc and tried to swipe a card from his deck only to find one of the Vilemon had taken it. As it fled into the skies, one of NeoDevimon's hands reached out to crush it, "Guilty Claw!"

The Vilemon turned into a cloud of data and Takato's deck fell into his hands. Takato replaced the cards in his pocket with the exception of one card he slid through his D-Arc, "Digimodify! Power Boost Activate!"

What Guilmon lacked in speed, he now made up for with sheer strength. What appeared to be a light scratch from his claws scattered dozens of Vilemon. With the Vilemon momentarily dazed, NeoDevimon urged them to climb aboard, "There are too many! You must trust me if you expect to escape alive!"

Takato glanced between the NeoDevimon and the swarm of Vilemon. Against his better instincts, Takato took NeoDevimon's hand and mounted the Airdramon, "Guys! Let's go!"

"Pyrosphere!" Guilmon shot a Vilemon from the sky before leaping aboard. NeoDevimon reached out for Gatomon and Gennai, placing them gently on Airdramon and commanding his steed to fly. Airdramon sliced through the winds with ease, leaving the Vilemon to be caught up in the strong currents. As Airdramon flew past the giant tower, Takato caught site of two Gekomon holding each other's hand as the wind blew them to and fro.

"Why would Lucemon do this?" Takato asked of NeoDevimon. The dark digimon lamented, "Lucemon seeks to punish those who pose a threat to his _new world_. So Lucemon warped the Dark Ocean into nine circles of torment, believing it will show them the error in their ways. You've already seen the first: Limbo, where he keeps those who weren't faithful to the creator but were virtuous. He punishes them with what he deems eternal boredom. The rest all go to see Minos, whom you've already met, and he judges them to one of the remaining eight circles. This is the second: the storm of lust, where those whose love blinded their reason will be forever separated from the one their heart desires."

"And there are still seven more?" Gennai asked in disbelief. NeoDevimon nodded, commanding his Airdramon towards a cliff in the distance. Once they were over the cliff, Airdramon dove down towards the flesh colored ground where a downpour of putrid mud fell from the heavens and formed small puddles. The victims here were fleeing from a three-headed black dog Takato recalled as Cerberumon from one of the many trading cards he had seen. Cerberumon viciously tore apart anyone it could reach with one of its three mouths. Several of the sufferers tried in vain to climb up the steep cliff wall but were unable to get a grip in the slippery wall. Their screams echoed high, which NeoDevimon explained, "Lucemon charged Cerberumon with guarding the gluttons, whose insatiability will be forever denied while they become that they crave."

"We should be helping them!" Takato reasoned, "Head down, we can stop Cerberumon!"

"There is no time!" NeoDevimon argued, "Lucemon's plan is already in motion. I must deliver you to him as soon as possible!"

"You mean he's here?" Takato's voice was hopeful. NeoDevimon frowned, steering Airdramon down another cliffside, "No, he's already begun his attack on the _domain_. The fastest way there is through the gate at the Ninth Circle."

They passed over a series of large metal works. Molten metal poured into large vats of screaming souls who burned alive in the heat. Others were strapped to mass conveyer belts that repeatedly tore them to pieces. A few of the lucky souls were imprisoned in cages where they fought continuously amongst themselves over large bags. NeoDevimon grimaced, "This is the circle of Avarice, where those who squandered and horded their wealth are punished into becoming that which they so coveted. The few who are freed from this fate are condemned to forever fight over what little there is."

"Why are you showing us this?" Gatomon inquired, a glazed look in her eyes. NeoDevimon commanded Airdramon towards an island in the distance, surrounded on all sides by black waters swelling with thousands, digimon and human alike, fighting each other ferociously to get above its frozen surface.

"Because you need to know the fate of all if you fail," NeoDevimon warned, "Below us is the fifth circle, Wrath: the souls punished here forever focus their anger on each other in the River Styx. Ahead of us is the next circle, an impenetrable fortress guarded by Daemon's legions."

"Daemon's here!" They all asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Daemon was tasked by Lucemon to personally oversee the torments," NeoDevimon explained. They passed over the city wall and found it simply led to a large crater spanned by several bridges connecting various sides of the wall. Airdramon dove down once again towards the crater passing by dozens of caged individuals being cooked alive over burning fires. Even more disturbing were those who were crucified to burning stakes which were hung upside down from all the bridges, as they were prodded by hordes of Devimon and Vilemon.

"This circle punishes what Lucemon describes as 'heretics' to his new world," NeoDevimon described. They continued downward, towards another island surrounded by boiling red waters filled with agonizing screams. Large statues were half sunken into the water, with waterfalls gushing from their eyes like tears. The heads of the statues were the only light in this dim abyss of the Dark Ocean, illuminating the water like blood, "This is the seventh circle, where Lucemon has decided to torture the violent. The suffering here is divided into three subsections, the first tortures those who were violent to their fellow men. They will fight amongst themselves forever in this river of boiling blood. Ahead is the second subsection."

They soared over a dead forest; the trees were bare of any vegetation and hanging from each of the branches was a body – either digimon or human. Dozens of crows ate away at the bodies, leaving them barely recognizable. With a dreary voice, NeoDevimon commented, "The wood of suicide, where those who did violence unto themselves are forever robbed of the freedoms they took for granted. The sufferers here are better off than their counterparts in the next area."

In silence, they passed over the forest into a blazing desert rained upon by tongues of fire. The scorched sands were turned to glass as the fire rained down, only for the glass to disappear beneath the sand in seconds. Scattered across the ground were dozens of digimon and humans huddled together in groups to shield themselves from the fiery rain, "This is the third section of violence. Those who were violent to the virtues suffer here, where the tongue of fire lick away flesh from the bone, data from the core."

Both Guilmon and Gatomon shivered in fear. Everyone grasped tightly to AirDramon as it dove downward yet again through a hole in the center of the desert that led to a cave. A flight of stairs spiraled downward along the walls, illuminated by DemiMeramon and Candlemon who cackled malevolently as they mocked those who were captured within ten pits, "This is the eighth circle: the circle of fraud. Believe me when I say it speaks for itself."

In the first pit marched humans and digimon into separate lines moving in opposite direction while a trio of Myotismon whipped them with flaming whips. In the second pit, people were buried up to their faces in mud while a fast moving group of Vilemon danced atop their heads to bury them into the dirt. In the third pit, souls were buried face first into the ground while a horde of Meramon tickled at their feet laughingly. In the fourth pit, digimon and humans alike had their heads turned in the opposite direction where they were forced to walk aimlessly in a circle. In the fifth pit, the poor souls were buried up to their waists in black tar and those who tried to escape found their hands bitten by a swarm of Demidevimon.

Everyone in the sixth pit was garbed in a black cloak where they sought out their loved ones hopelessly. In the seventh pit, digimon and human alike ran from a centarumon who chased them around with a quiver of flaming arrows. In the eighth pit, everyone was set ablaze by a slew of SkullMeramon who observed their victims agonizing pain. Ahead in the ninth circle, a Piedmon impaled those who were unable to outrun his many swords only so they could reappear and he could repeat his brutal crime. In the final pit, a pestilence befell its occupants who broke out in sores and rashes, sobs and tears, pains and horror.

Takato was unable to watch anymore and closed his eyes in horror of the atrocities before him. Lucemon would pay for what he was doing! Takato would make sure of it. They descended deeper into the cave, where the air chilled and no light could be seen beyond a distant glow. Takato could see his breath right in front of him, and brought his arms together to conserve warmth, "Why's it getting so cold?"

"The lowest circle punishes traitors," NeoDevimon enlightened them, "It is a reflection of Daemon's heart and soul: cold as ice and unmoving. Here Daemon and his legions feast on the souls unlucky enough to be sentenced here. Ahead is his castle!"

NeoDevimon pointed to a palace of black ice, illuminated by the soft glow of a blue light. It was situated in a frozen lake lined with torches placed to resemble a pentagram. Airdramon landed at the entrance to the palace and lowered his wing so the others could disembark. NeoDevimon bowed before them, "I'm afraid this is where we must part ways."

"You're not coming with us?" Takato asked the evil digimon. NeoDevimon and shook his head, "I must stay here to buy you some time. Daemon's legions are close behind and they're not pleased with your intrusion. You must go face Lucemon. Only you can defeat him."

"But you won't stand a chance against all of them!" Takato argued, "At least let us stay and help you!"

"No!" NeoDevimon scowled, "You've already lost too much time! Lucemon is nearing his goal. If you don't stop him… you saw what will happen."

Takato nodded and ran for the door. Off in the distance, the sound of cackling laughter and the beating of wing could be heard. Wasting no time, Takato grabbed the icy handles of the door and pulled it open with Guilmon's help. Gennai and Gatomon ran inside with Guilmon in tow. As Takato followed, he stopped in the doorway to ask one last question, "Why did you help us?"

"My master and I felt something we haven't felt in a long time. It's a strange, familiar feeling," NeoDevimon answered quietly, much to Takato's confusion, "Never mind! Just go!"

Takato began to close the door behind him as the first of Daemon's followers appeared: a Devidramon ridden by a cackling Piedmon. Before the door was closed, Takato caught a glimpse of a bright light which engulfed NeoDevimon. Takato feared the worst, until he saw a MagnaAngemon emerge from the light and slice the Devidramon in half with his sword, "Blade of Excalibur!"

Amazed with newfound confidence, Takato sealed the door closed and followed after the others through the grand entrance way. The icy walls were illuminated by candle lit chandeliers hanging from the ceilings that arched high above. Ahead of them was a great staircase which led to another large door guarded by two statues of a LadyDevimon and a Devimon. Along the edges of the walls were even more statues, each of Daemon sitting upon a throne of bones.

Guilmon scratched at the large doors, sniffing it curiously and noting, "There are people on the other side!"

"How do you know?" Gennai asked the little dinosaur, who now growled at the door ferociously. Takato stepped past his partner and pushed the door open, "He knows. It's one of his abilities."

Inside, they found themselves in a grand dining room supported by columns of ice. A great blue light floated from the ceiling, illuminating a long table with six chairs on each side and a throne at the far end. Seated upon it was Daemon, who rested his head against his hand, "Welcome! I'm so glad you could join me for dinner!"

"Daemon!" Gatomon hissed, charging forward furiously and raising her claws against the digimon, "WHERE'S HIKARI!"

Daemon waved his hand through the air whimsically and sent Gatomon into a wall with a loud crash, "Petulant cat, you insult my hospitality?"

Gatomon moaned in pain. Gennai rushed to check on her whilst Takato and Guilmon eyed Daemon angrily. Daemon slyly remarked, "Perhaps I can interest you two in some entertainment?"

With a snap of his fingers, loud screams echoed from the ceiling. Takato looked up and saw Jeri trapped in a cage of ice suspended in the air by a steel chain. There were other cages as well, each with a tamer, a digimon or a digidestined. All of them were bound by coils and gagged with a piece of cloth. Takato was angered by what Daemon did to his friends and demanded from the Dark Lord, "What did you do to them?"

"They wandered into my domain uninvited," Daemon explained, "I do not tolerate such disrespect, so I decided to personally see to their… chastisement."

With another snap of his fingers, sparks of electricity flew across each of the cages and forced screams out of everyone. Blinded with rage at Daemon's torture, Takato rushed the demon lord, "NO!"

Takato should have known he posed no threat to Daemon. Daemon grabbed Takato by the head and lifted him off the ground, "Insignificant soul. What do you expect to accomplish? My powers are far greater than anything you can fathom! SLASH NAIL!"

"TAKATOMON!" Guilmon cried out. Takato was thrown backwards by Daemon's attack and crashed into the dinner table, sliding across its surface and coming to a stop in the middle. He pulled himself forward, his brain racking against his skull from the sheer force of Daemon's attack. The room was spinning but Takato did his best to maintain his focus, even if he was seeing three of everything.

When everything finally stopped spinning, Takato realized Guilmon at his side growling ferociously at Daemon. Gennai was on his other side, cradling Gatomon and commenting, "Daemon's too strong. We can't beat him like this."

"We can," Takato grunted, scrambling to his feet and reaching for his D-Arc, "NeoDevimon said we're the only ones who can stop Lucemon! I'm not going to let Daemon slow us down. Bio-Merge! Activate!"

A bright flash of light merged Takato and Guilmon into the Mega digimon Gallantmon. Daemon howled with laughter at Gallantmon, cackling in a cruel voice, "The heavens themselves tremble in fear of my power! The Sovereigns and The Celestial ones together cannot match me! Do you think you can stop me?"

"The Sovereigns and NeoDevimon believed I could," Gallantmon answered, "That's enough for me! Lightning Joust!"

Takato fired a burst of electricity at Daemon and immediately charged. The Demon Lord easily redirected it with a wave of his hand, but did not realize Gallantmon charged him. Gallantmon jabbed at Daemon with his lance, clipping one of the digimon's wings and sending him reeling backwards, "Impressive, but futile. I should have expected no less from the one who defeated Belphemon, Leviamon, and Beelzemon. But their defeats were flukes! EVIL INFERNO!"

A tornado of fire erupted from Gallantmon's feet, searing his skin beneath all of his armor. Gallantmon fought the pain with his resolve to defeat Daemon, raising his lance above his head and brought it down on Daemon. Daemon stopped his attack to get out Gallantmon's reach, spreading his wings wide and taking to the air, "Evil Flapping!"

He kicked up a gust of wind with his wings which pushed Gallantmon backwards, "SHEILD OF THE JUST!"

Gallantmon raised his shield to block Daemon's attack, aiming it right at Daemon. The beam of light almost hit its mark but Daemon deflected it, right at the cage holding Miyako, "Ack!"

Gallantmon forfeited the protection of his shield, throwing it so it would absorb the shock of his attack. Thankfully, the shield took the brunt of the blast but the force knocked it against Miyako's cage. It swung wildly, knocking several of the other cages in its path which flailed wildly in the air. Daemon roared with laughter, flying high into the air and landing atop Jeri's cage, "You should take more care, Royal Knight. You wouldn't want any harm to come to your friends, would you?"

With a swipe of his hands, Daemon cut the chain and allowed Jeri's cage to fall to the ground. She screamed in horror, "TAKATO!"

Gallantmon raced to meet the cage, throwing his lance like a javelin to shatter her cage. She plummeted to the ground, the wind racing past her. Gallantmon reached out his arms, "JERI!"

A loud crash followed by a scream echoed in the halls of Daemon's castle.

…

(As Seen From Jeri's Perspective)

Jeri blinked in disbelief, seeing no light in Gallantmon's eyes. Gallantmon caught her but Daemon took advantage of the situation to launch his attack. Using both of his hands, Daemon had crushed Gallantmon's head into the ground and rendered him unconscious. Daemon picked up the unconscious mega by the head and raised him above the ground, "Our victory is nigh! EVIL INFERNO!"

Another twister of fire erupted from Daemon's hand, consuming Gallantmon in the heated blaze. Daemon allowed the flames to burn Gallantmon's armor black before releasing the Knight onto the ground. Daemon laughed victoriously, "Compassion makes you weak. That is why you cannot win. Now what should I do about you my dear?"

Daemon stepped towards Jeri, his cold red eyes leering at her lustfully. Jeri inched away from the Demon Lord who casually added, "As I understand, human girls your age are fertile... and Lord Lucemon did ask me to sire a child. Perhaps you would make a fitting mistress?"

Daemon smiled beneath his hood and reach out to grab Jeri. Before he could do anything else, he was stopped in his tracks and turned around by an enraged Gallantmon. His armor scorched black; he could barely keep himself upright in his weakened state, "Leave her alone."

"So you're still alive," Daemon stated calmly, raising his hands before Gallantmon, "SLAS-!"

Gallantmon grabbed Daemon's fingers and pressed them forward, using his free hand to punch Daemon across the face. Daemon's hood was thrown off by the blow, revealing the monstrous face hidden beneath. To say it was a far cry from the originally angelic figure of Seraphimon would be an understatement. Daemon's expression was one of surprise, as Gallantmon punched him again in the gut. Daemon fell to his knees, trying to resist Gallantmon's barrage of punches only to be beaten back even harder.

Jeri watched in fear as Gallantmon beat Daemon with his bare fists until he was nothing more than a bloody pulp that Gallantmon cast aside wearily, "Compassion doesn't make anyone weak!"

Daemon dragged himself back to his throne, fleeing from Gallantmon who hobbled after him, "But you're the one who's weak, Daemon, because you don't have compassion. You don't care about anyone!"

"I care for one thing only," Daemon retorted weakly, pulling himself on to his throne, "Lord Lucemon enlightened us so long ago, freeing us from indentured servitude! I will see his dreams realized, even if it costs my data!"

With that said, Daemon dissipated into a cloud of red data that disappeared into thin air. With the battle over, Gallantmon returned to Jeri's side and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you," Jeri murmured quietly, dumbstruck at Gallantmon's display of rage, Jeri swore black speckles of data were hovering around Gallantmon for a brief moment. It was cold and filled Jeri with terror, the same terror she felt upon witnessing Megidramon. Gallantmon did not appear to notice the specks of data and nodded, "I'm glad. We have to—"

Before he finished his sentence, Gallantmon fell to the ground from exhaustion. He defused back into Guilmon and Takato, both unconscious from the events of the battle. Jeri motioned for Takato with worry, shaking his unconscious form, "Takato?"

"He's just tired from exhaustion," the white robed man holding Gatomon explained, "Let him rest for now."

"Who are you?" Jeri asked frightfully. The man smiled kindly, "I'm a friend. You can call me Gennai."

"Hey, guys, I hate to ruin the moment," Kazu shouted from his cage high above, "But could you let us out first?"

…

**Author's Note: **Hey folks. That's one more chapter over and done with. My next update will be in eight weeks on Friday, September 10th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network (PSN ID leo11235). Don't forget to check out my Resistance Sample. Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	20. Siege of File Island

**Disclaimer: **Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing it for him.

**Author's Note: **Hey folks, this is your friendly neighborhood leonardo1123581321 sending friendly greetings and howdidoos. Thanks for the patience with the development of this chapter, I know it took a little longer than normal to post. In my defense, I became excessively busy once the school year rolled. So I noticed the Tamers weren't getting as much love as the digidestined so I decided to focus this chapter a little more on their combat abilities. Not only that, but some of the story's loose-ends are getting tied up. I won't say which ones, but I will say not all of them are blatantly obvious. For those of you who've been reading in between the lines, you'll get a lot of satisfactory answers. For everyone else, I hope you enjoy the story. And special thanks goes out to Kells for proofreading my chapters for me. And now on to some review responses:

**Hanzo of the Salamander: **What does that mean? I'm so confused! Waah! Seriously, I've tried everything I can think of and can't find a legimate answer anywhere!

**Starowner: **Oddly, that makes me feel better. I'm glad you like the story.

**Light-Sakura: **Thanks for enjoying the story. As I've said, this one ties up a lot of loose ends.

**ARCtheElite: **Actually, dare I say it, the next couple of chapters will steal heavily from the Divine Comedy, otherwise known as Dante's Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradaiso. To those not in the know, the Divine Comedy has a lot of political undertones, with a lot of social commentary on the society of the time and the politicians of the era. But it's actually pretty clever how he writes it. Anyway, enjoy the story.

And so, without further delay, I present to you the continuation of Takato's Light

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 20: Siege of File Island**

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari's hands were tied behind her back with black bonds. Her 'brother' held her close with one hand while the other pointed mockingly at the clouds above. Beside them stood a masked digimon with white, long, flowing, hair. The majority of his features were hidden beneath a glowing red and blue robe decorated with glowing golden chains. They rode atop the head of a green dragon named Majiramon; traveling up a mountain by slithering on its side. As the dragon climbed higher along the mountain face, a ball of fire descended from the mountains and flew past Majiramon's head. In the fiery aura, Hikari saw what appeared to be a red digimon, "You! You know the price of returning here!"

"Marsmon," Taichi/Lucemon said calmly. The fiery figure halted his flight pattern, "Your punishment affected your mind. Did you forget I am Apollomon!"

"I wasn't talking to you," Lucemon/Taichi laughed. Apollomon shot him a confused look as another figure appeared behind Lucemon and tackled Apollomon in the air, "Hail Lord Lucemon!"

The wind was knocked out of Apollomon, recovering in time to kick his attacker away, "Marsmon! You betray-"

"I serve Lord Lucemon!" Marsmon punched Apollomon out of the heavens, "Ask yourself: do you really desire an eternity of indentured servitude while the lesser beings are favored?"

Before Apollomon could answer, Marsmon punched him again and sent him falling to the earth below. Marsmon reveled in his victory, roaring loudly into the air with triumph. Marsmon then chased after Apollomon, carrying their battle on miles below. Lucemon/Taichi laughed at Apollomon's misfortune and nodded at his cohort with a sneer, "Announce our arrival, Barbamon."

Barbamon nodded and glided into the air, swirling a golden staff above his head in circles. Clouds gathered around them, twisting around in circles and striking the mountain with lightning bolts. The sound of a horn heralded the descent of a legion of several thousand Angemon and Angewomon. Lucemon/Taichi laughed at the charge and snapped his fingers. A wave of explosions swept across their formation. All the angels could do was scream in agony, their beaten bodies falling all around Hikari and Lucemon as they dissipated into clouds of data.

…

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

"Do you think he's alright?" Kazu's voice echoed somewhere. Takato eyes shot open to a bright and dizzying world. What exactly had he missed? He remembered he was doing something important, he just couldn't remember what it was.

"His wounds are bad, I don't think he'll make it," Ryu's voice added sullenly, to which Takeru protested, "How would you know?"

"TK…" Miyako's voice echoed somewhere.

"I spent a long time in the Digital World by myself," Ryu explained, "I know mortal wounds when I see them."

"I don't believe it!" TK growled, "Come on, hang in there MagnaAngemon! I know you can!"

"It's too late for me," MagnaAngemon grunted, "Please wake up Takato and Guilmon. They must-"

"Save your strength," Jeri's voice comforted, "You're in no condition to be moving."

It struck Takato like lightning. He defeated Daemon while MagnaAngemon and his Airdramon held off Daemon's forces. He shot up quickly and gasped, "Guys! We have to-"

"Takato!" Guilmon squealed, crashing into Takato with a hug. Momentarily surprised, Takato wrapped his arms around Guilmon to hold himself up. It was then he noticed Rika staring down at him with her arms folded across her chest, "It's about time you woke up, goggle head."

Takato massaged his head, feeling the sudden brain rush from his sitting up too fast. Takato put his hands on the ground and pushed himself up off the ground, "How long was I out?"

"It doesn't matter," MagnaAngemon proclaimed, "You have to…to hurry…"

Takato turned his attention to the angel digimon seated beside him with his weight against the icy wall. All of his wings were bent and torn at all sorts of angles. His armor was cracked across his chest, revealing bloodied wounds seeping away small bits of data. Takato inspected the digimon carefully and quietly asked, "NeoDevimon?"

"Are you blind? That's MagnaAngemon!" TK scowled angrily. Miyako put a hand on Takeru's shoulder and added, "Calm down TK. I'm sure he's still confused."

"No…he's right," MagnaAngemon laughed weakly, "I don't know what brought about this change, but I must thank you for restoring in me what I'd lost. It gave me the strength to fight off Daemon's forces, though it cost me greatly. Perhaps we were right to put our faith in you…"

Takato was at a loss for words, watching quietly as the weakened angel murmured his last words, "Please, you must hurry. Lucemon lies beyond those doors."

MagnaAngemon pointed at a large wooden gate behind Daemon's throne. Two statues presided over it; one of Daemon and the other of Seraphimon. Both statues reached out to one another over the threshold of the door with a proud intensity that reminded Takato of Daemon. Takato was surprised he didn't notice it before, "Through there?"

"It is a gate," MagnaAngemon coughed, "A gate which passes time and space. Lucemon used it to transport his armies. Please! Hurry!"

The gate suddenly crept open, bathing the room in light and warmth. MagnaAngemon smiled as the light washed over him, "Take what little strength I have left. We have faith in-"

MagnaAngemon dissipated into a cloud of data before he could finish his sentence. The data disperse at first but then shot itself at Guilmon, the unwilling recipient of MagnaAngemon's power. Takato was saddened at MagnaAngemon's loss and took a moment of silence in his honor. They just met moments ago, with NeoDevimon pleading for Takato and the others to trust him. And in the short amount of time they knew each other, NeoDevimon gave everything.

"Let's go Patamon," Takato heard TK say coldly. Takato looked up to see TK and Patamon marching slowly through the door to whatever lay on the other side. As TK disappeared, Kazu commented, "What's his problem?"

The digidestined look at Kazu accusingly, catching him off guard, "What'd I do?"

"He lost Patamon once," Ken answered quietly, "Angemon fought a Devimon and won, but it cost all of Angemon's strength. It still haunts him, even now."

"Sorry, I didn't know," Kazu defended. Ken shrugged, "Well, now you do. Come on Wormmon."

"We should be going too," Ryo added to the others, who all quietly nodded in agreement. In silence, their group followed TK into the gate.

…

They emerged on sandy beaches of a tropical island, towered over by a large mountain that disappeared into the skies. Above them, past the clouds, they could clearly make out the blacked Earth whose oceans ran red as if with blood. A dense mist surrounded them, concealing their immediate surroundings but doing little to hide the mountain in the distance, or the world above. A surprised Takeru proclaimed, "We're back on File Island!"

Suddenly, two fiery blurs flew shot over their heads towards the ocean, "COME TO YOUR SENSES! LUCEMON SHALL FAIL AGAIN!"

"OUR GOAL IS WITHIN OUR REACH! WE SHALL NOT FAIL!"

It was Apollomon cutting through the air, locked in deadly combat with Marsmon. Takato and the other Tamers became aware of their D-Arcs loud beeps and whines. The built-in radars were swaying furiously from one direction to another, the built in

They looked at the direction of the mountain, where they caught sight of a titanic digimon scaling its side: VenomMyotismon swatting away at flocks of Angemon. Beside him, Kimeramon, whose many arms grabbed at Angemon and Angewomon trying to fend him off. A MarineDevimon was just ahead of them, pulling a large rock from the side of the mountain and throwing it at the clouds above. A small figure appeared from the clouds and shattered the boulder like glass with a punch before tackling MarineDevimon. MarineDevimon fell from the mountain and crashed at its side with an earth-shattering quake.

Suddenly, the clouds darkened and danced with bolts of lightning. In the distance, they heard Lucemon's voice echo, "FATHER! YOUR SON RETURNS OFFERING GIFTS! I PRESENT YOU WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF YOUR KINGDOM!"

At that same moment, a blue serpent covered in chains fell from the heavens. It crashed into the forest ahead of them, kicking up a dust cloud and knocking over a section of forest. Everyone threw up their arm to shield themselves from the scathing sand, unable to believe what they had seen.

As soon as the dust cleared, Kenta and Kazu took off at a sprint, "AZULONGMON!"

Before Kazu and Kenta could even reach the tree line ahead of them, three figures emerged from the forest and blocked their path: Devimon. The lead Devimon took up Kazu with one hand and examined him carefully, "You're in the wrong place at just the right time. I was worried we'd run out of play things."

"GUARDIAN BARRAGE!" Kazu's partner Guardromon roared. A pod of missiles fired from the rocket launchers on his shoulders, targeted the Devimon and tore the two Devimon in the back apart. The remaining Devimon dropped Kazu, an evil grin growing on his face, "You brought friends. DEATH CLAW!"

A black arm emerged from the ground, grasping Guardromon firmly between its fingers and throttling the Champion out of his wits. Guilmon lunged forward and tackled Devimon to the ground. The arm released Guardromon and sank back into the ground. Raising his claws above his head, Guilmon tore the Devimon apart, "Rock Breaker!"

The Devimon dissipated into a cloud of data that dissolved into the mist, clearing the path ahead of them. Henry pulled Kazu off the ground and reprimanded his fellow tamer, "Be careful next time. I don't think we'll be getting much of a warm welcome here."

"Right, sorry," Kazu apologized, and dusted himself off, "Now let's hurry! Azulongmon landed ahead of us!"

Without a second thought, Kazu carelessly ran into the forest despite his earlier apology. Guardromon chased after his partner and the others followed. Takato took a moment to stay behind, wondering why the data disappeared when it normally lingered. His answer came when he noticed a small speck of light before him. It was small enough to be unnoticeable, but bright enough to catch his attention. Realization dawned on Takato and he gasped when he understood there were in the middle of a cloud of data, not mist. The scope of destruction needed to leave behind a cloud of data so large was beyond his imagination. Worrying for the safety of the others, Takato chased after them.

They passed through the dense foliage, they witnessed the cracked stumps of trees fallen over and the residual data of defeated digimon. A little bit ahead of them was a worn Azulongmon sprawled out across the ground. Kazu was patting Azulongmon's head fretfully, "Come on! Azulongmon! Get up!"

"Kazu?" Azulongmon murmured, "Children…I'm glad…you're here."

"Azulongmon! What happened?" Miyako asked, resting her hands on the Sovereign's large head, "Who did this to you?"

Azulongmon hacked furiously, his labored breaths persistently pausing his speech, "We were betrayed. Marsmon and his armies allied with Lucemon. Lucemon's forces attack from beyond while Marsmon's forces attack us from within. Their powers combined are too much. I'm afraid the battle is already lost."

"No way! We're not going to give up! We just got here!" Kazu argued with the sovereign digimon. Azulongmon gasped for breath, struggling to say his next words, "As you are, you will be unable to fight your way through Lucemon's main force. But, a secret path known only to the sovereigns and our servants lies just ahead, which will take you straight to the top. Gennai, please be their guide through the secret path."

"Yes, old friend," Gennai bowed. Azulongmon groaned and murmured, "Thank you. Children, I don't have much strength left in me…please stop Lucemon."

"You can count on us big guy!" Kazu patted Azulongmon. Azulongmon's body glowed bright blue, a beam of light leaving his body and illuminating a previously unseen trail in the forest. The trail ran deep into the forest, disappeared around the base of the mountain. As the beam faded, two creatures resembling Angemon with two wings descended from on high: Piddomon. The rested beside Azulongmon and inquired, "Lord Azulongmon, are you alright?"

"I am fine. Please, attend to the battle above," Azulongmon pleaded with the angels, his weary eyes sinking down, "It is already too late for me."

"We refuse to leave your side!" One of the Pidomon argued with the sovereign. Azulongmon opened his mouth to answer but was only able to breath out one last breath. Wisps of data escaped from his large body, and the Piddomon lowered their heads in despair. Before anyone could take in the moment of Azulongmon's passing, a lone Devimon descended from the heavens and attacked their group, "EVIL WING!"

Blades of energy cut from his wings and sliced Azulongmon's disappearing body. The two Piddomon ascended to meet the Devimon, their staves raised up against the digimon. Gennai called to everyone amidst the fighting, "Follow me! Quickly!"

Everyone followed Gennai deep into the forest. The trail was littered with statues of various digimon Takato was unable to identify, all of them extending their arms out and their heads raised in exaltation of some unseen entity. It was ultimately Ken who asked, "What are these statues?"

"They're monuments to ten ancient heroes of the Digital World," Gennai explained, "I'll tell you about it some other time, come this way."

They continued on in silence, until they reached the base of the mountain where the trail became a flight of stairs that disappeared inside the mountain. Gennai went ahead first into the darkened cave, while everyone else waited anxiously outside. Takato, much like the others, was unnerved by the cave that filled him with a mix of terror and hope. Seeing as no one else wanted to go inside, Takato took the lead and followed after Gennai. He hastily climbed up the first flight of steps, becoming vaguely aware of the searing pain burning his forehead. It quickly became too much for him to handle, and Takato fell to his knees with his hands wrapped around his forehead.

"TAKATOMON!" Guilmon hurried to his partner's side only to succumb to the same searing pain. Takato wanted to help his partner but found the pain kept him from moving. As Takato pulled himself back onto his feet, he saw Gennai rushing towards him with an angered expression on his face. Gennai pried Takato's hands off his forehead, his eyes widening with shock as he said aloud, "Peccatum."

"Gennai, what's going on?" Takato heard Gatomon ask. Gennai looked at Takato carefully and replied, "Any impure soul who walks this secret path is burned by the mark of peccatum, 'sin'. Those who are marked, will be unable to leave the trail unless they purify themselves."

"What do you mean purify myself?" Takato demanded, "Why would anyone do this?"

"It's a safety measure used by the Sovereigns to make sure no one with evil intentions can pass through this trail," Gennai explained, "But why did this happen to you?"

A distant explosion rocked the mountain side, reminding everyone of the situation at hand. Gennai quickly motioned for everyone to follow, "This way. I'll explain as we go."

Their entourage ventured into the cave, climbing a spiraling staircase lined with a long mosaic depicting a random assortment of events: an ancient civilization building a giant tower, a man dressed in robes crowning himself, a king sitting upon a throne receiving mountains of fold from his servants. Along the opposite side of the stair case was another mosaic with a contrasting set of images: a woman bowing before an angel, a king kneeling before a mass of people, a fisherman giving bread to a rich man. Takato examined the pictures carefully but couldn't decipher any kind of meaning out of them.

As they climbed higher, the stairs finally led out of the cave and onto a wide ledge overlooking File Island. Ahead of them, an Angemon stood atop a rock punching at the air above him. Beams of energy fired out of his fists and struck at unseen enemies. The Angemon caught sight of the digidestined and happily proclaimed, "Glory be! You're here!"

Momentarily distracted, a Devimon descended from above him grabbed the Angemon by his wings. He swung the Angemon around in the air before throwing him off in some random direction. Takeru was the one who yelled out in horror at Devimon's actions, roaring allowed, "NO!"

Patamon took to the air, "Patamon! Armor Digivolve To! Pegasusmon!"

Pegasusmon beat his wings and tackled Devimon head first. Caught off guard, the Devimon was powerless as Pegasus pressed his attack, "Equus Beam!"

A beam of green energy shot out of Pegasusmon's head and incinerated Devimon. Everyone looked at Takeru in awe, most of the group aware of the touchy subject Angemon's defeat had for TK but none certain just how deep it ran. The battle ended as quickly as it began. In silence, Pegasusmon returned to his Patamon form and came to a rest on TK's head, "Are you alright, TK?"

"I'm fine," Takeru growled, "Let's go."

They're group ventured on silently, the only sound coming from the occasional explosion that shook the mountain around them. After a few minutes of silence, they came along a series of statues of people looking longingly out away from the mountain. Their facial expressions unnerved Takato, but it was nothing compared to the howling winds that struck against the mountain. It reminded Takato of the second circle in Lucemon's perverted Dark Ocean, where lovers were kept just out of each others' reach for eternity. It was a horrible reminder of the fate everyone would suffer if they failed to stop Lucemon.

Further along, the trail winded back into the mountain where they found a trail of data clouds littering the road. Gennai came to a stop and halted everyone, "Data…"

"Data? Digimon were deleted here? But, how?" Jeri remarked, "I thought only the sovereigns and their servants knew how to get here!"

"Good question," Gennai looked around carefully, "If digimon were here, then…we should be careful."

The continued on into the cave to find the cloud of data grow denser. In the distance, the echoing sounds of fighting grew louder and the path started to shake more often. Eventually, the cavern opened up into a large room where they found Marsmon locked in heated battle against Apollomon. Apollomon continuously punched away at Marsmon to little effect. Marsmon simply ducked and weaved his way around the punches before striking Apollomon in the chest with a sharp kick, "You cannot win, Apollomon! I was always the better fighter!"

"Apollomon!" Gennai rushed forward to help the ailing Mega. Marsmon saw Gennai rushing towards Apollomon and cut him off with a wave of fire, "CORONA SANCTIONS!"

The blast sent Gennai backwards into the wall. Gatomon immediately rush out to help him, with Patamon and TK right behind her. They took up a defensive position around Gennai and prepared for whatever Marsmon decided to do to them. Marsmon merely laughed at their actions and leered in Takato's direction, "Your rush to the aid of a dying kingdom! And look! Their champion has been trapped by their own defenses! You who are marked have no place here! With that mark, you will not even be able to step into the Kingdom! How can you expect to save this world if you cannot even save yourself?"

"I can take care of myself just fine!" Takato argued with the mega.

"And he always has us," Jeri added, running in front of Takato. Rika, Henry, Kazu, Kenta, Ryu, Suzie, Ai, and Mako joined them, along with their digimon partners. Marsmon's eyes narrowed, "Hmm… let's see if your friendship is enough to save you!"

A blast of fire appeared around Marsmon's body. He smashed his fists into the ground, breaking the floor around them and sending rocks falling into a chasm below. By this time, each of the digimon digivolved into their champion form and either took to the air or grasped onto the walls of the cavern to keep themselves from falling. The exception was Digmon who quickly a dug a hole for himself and Iori into the rock wall. Takato stood upon Growlmon's shoulder and looked out over the scene for some sign of Gennai. Gennai's unconscious form was on Pegasusmon's back, along with TK and Gatomon.

Takato heaved a sigh of relief but did not get the reprieve he was hoping for. Marsmon appeared before him and punched both Growlmon in the head and Takato in the stomach with fists covered in fire, "Mugen Hadou!"

Marsmon began to unleash a flurry of attacks on the two partners but was shortly interrupted by a blast of fire from Gargomon, "Gargo pellets!"

Marsmon relented from his attack and circled around to attack Gargomon, but was cut off by Cyberdramon and Kyubimon.

"Cyber Nail!"

"Fox Tail Inferno!"

The two attacks barely laid a scratch on Marsmon, who charged forward and punched the two of them straight into the wall, "Do you think this will do anything to me? I am a god compared to you!"

As Marsmon circled around for another pass at Gargomon, but was stopped in his tracks by Apollomon who shot him square in the chest with a ball of fire, "Phoebus Blow!"

Marsmon was thrown back by the attack, crashing through the wall behind him and out into the outside. Apollomon peered out of the hole and nodded in satisfaction before leaping down to meet the digidestined, "Thank for distracting him. I thought I bought it back there for a moment."

"Anytime," Ryu nodded. Apollomon turned his attention to the hole in the wall, "Yes, now I need to return to battle. Lucemon's forces have already breached the main gate. You must hurry but… you're marked!"

Apollomon took a step back and pointed at Takato's forehead. The others didn't need to be reminded of the mark on Takato's forehead, but were surprised to see Apollomon have such a reaction, "Damn… you can't leave the path if you're marked."

"Yeah, I know," Takato remarked, rubbing the part of his body that Marsmon beat mercilessly, "How do I get rid of it?"

"You must absolve yourself of all your impurities," Apollomon explained, "Until then, you can never leave."

"How do I do that?" Takato demanded curiously. Apollomon shrugged helplessly, "I don't know. It's different for each person."

"Great, that's just what I need," Takato heaved a heavy sigh. Apollomon patted him on the shoulder and offered the only condolence he could, "Don't worry. You just need to follow this path until your impurity is revealed to you."

"Okay, then I guess we need to get going," Takato answered, "Let's go guys."

Growlmon dedigivolved into his rookie form and followed after Takato. The others followed after him, the digimon all dedigivolving with the exception of Pegasusmon, who carried the unconscious Gennai on his back. Gatomon rode atop Pegasusmon's head, following after closely as they proceeded up higher along the trail.

When the trail finally returned back to the outside of the mountain they found themselves already more than halfway up the mountain. Above them, storm clouds gathered around the peak with flashes of lightning flying through the air. They were so close, and yet Takato didn't have the first inkling as to how he was supposed to purify himself.

Eventually the trail came to an end at a large golden gate that smashed open. A wall of fire and a large column of smoke blurred whatever was on the other side of the gate but the sounds of fighting were more than enough reason for them. Presiding over the gate were three large statues. A statue of Ophanimon and a statue of Cherubimon flanked the gate, while a statue of Seraphimon stood over the gates. All three statues were smashed and ruined to some degree.

As they drew closer, VenomMyotismon's hand reached over the edge of the trail. His head followed afterwards and he roared triumphantly at his feet. Atop his head was the familiar Barbamon, who disguised himself as Taichi during the attack on Tokyo. Barbamon floated into the air and came to a rest at the threshold of the gates, "Welcome digidestined! You're just in time to see Lucemon's final triumph over the creator! Behold! The end of all times! The coming Ragnarok!"

The winds circled around Barbamon and condensed into a ball in his hand. Barbamon aimed the ball at their feet and fired. It exploded just a few feet in front of them, leaving a small crater where it hit and kicked up a cloud of dust. As the dust swirled around him, Takato heard the screams of a thousand voices chanting, _Ragnarok, De Dies Irae, Parvulus Electus, Tuum fatum sequeris. Tuum sanctuarium affligeas. Ragnarok, Dominus Ultionis venit. Usque lux apparet, animae mortuae procusae sunt, Per somnum aeternum, numen divinum dictus est, Viator elamentabilis, Ragnarok. Ragnarok,De Dies Irae, l'Cie Pultis,_

_Tuum fatum sequeris. Tuum mundum dispertaris. Ragnarok, Rex Immiserabilis advenit. Usque lux apparet, animae mortuae procusae sunt, Per somnum aeternum, numen divinum dictus est, Viator elamentabilis, Ragnarok._

Searing pain traced through Takato's head, followed with thousands of horrifying images: Tokyo burning, his parents looking on as a bright flash turned them to skeleton ash, the oceans of the digital world vanishing, black clouds consuming the world, the endless suffering of everyone in the Dark Ocean. Takato clutched at his head and fell to his knees, screaming aloud in agony. He could feel himself losing his mind when a single sound resounded in his mind. It was Jeri's voice crying out, "Takato!"

Takato snapped out of his trance and pushed himself up off the ground. Taking a triumphant stand, Takato locked eyes with Barbamon and remarked, "I'm fine Jeri, and I'm not afraid of you, Barbamo! You, or Lucemon!"

"None of us are!" Henry added appearing at his side, "Do your worst!"

"We can take on whatever you've got!" Kazu chimed in, shaking his fist at Barbamon.

"Very well," Barbamon laughed, "Let me give you a reason to be afraid! CRIMSON FLAME!"

A blast of fiery energy shot out of Barbamon's hand towards their party. Their party immediately split, all of the digimon digivolving into their champion forms and taking to the air. The only exception was Digmon again who retreated into the ground to protect Iori. Raising his D-Arc in the air, Takato cried out, "Bio-Merge Activate!"

The other tamers who shared his ability biomerged with their partners, unleashing a team of four megas: Gallantmon, Sakuyamon, MegaGargomon, and Justimon. The four megas charged Barbamon in unison, scaring the demon lord into a retreat behind VenomMyotismon, "Stop them!"

"INFERNO!" The monster roared, a blast of fire shooting out of his mouth. The four megas stopped in their tracks, bracing for the impact of the attack only for MagnaAngemon to jump in front of them, "Gate of Destiny!"

MagnaAngemon summoned a gate to swallow the fire into the void beyond. Paildramon, Aquilamon, Shakkoumon appeared beside him and together tackled VenomMyotismon and sent the mega falling off the mountain. Gatomon raced up to them and answered, "Leave this big guy to them. You four get Barbamon!"

"Right!" Justimon agreed, "Let's go!"

Barbamon emerged from VenomMyotismon's falling form and ascended towards the clouds, raining more balls of fire down on the boys below. The four bio-merged megas dodged and weaved through one attack after another, chasing Barbamon through the clouds, "Give up! You'll never defeat me!"

Sakuramon got closest to Barbamon, wrapping one arm around him and striking the air with her staff using the other arm. A field of black and white in the shape of the Yin-Yang formed around them, forcing Barbamon to scream in agony. With a loud voice, Sakuyamon cried, "Talisman Sphere!"

"Gargo Missile!" MegaGargomon pressed the attack by firing two of his own missiles at Barbamon. Sakuyamon released Barbamon and fled away as Barbamon was hit from both sides by the missiles. Justimon kicked Barbamon square in the chest as he fell into the heaven. His right arm then transformed into an electrical sword he drove into Barbamon, "Voltage Blade!"

Barbamon howled in pain, falling even faster towards the ground below. As Gallantmon went in to deliver the finishing blow, Barbamon recovered from the attack and brought his hands to his chest. Small orbs of black energy began to concentrate around his hands, condensing into a tiny black ball pulsing with purple energy. Gallantmon didn't know what it was but he didn't want to find out. He angled his joust for Barbamon's chest and cried out, "Lightning Joust!"

A beam of energy shot out of his joust and struck Barbamon's gut. As Barbamon dissipated into data, the ball of energy followed his hands as they went limp and fired itself towards the ground. As it hit impact, the blast of energy it released spread out far and wide. The shockwave hit Gallantmon first, throwing him upwards and towards the destroyed gates. Just as he was about to pass through, he hit some invisible barrier that reflected him back on to the ground.

As Gallantmon reverted back into Takato and Guilmon, Jeri ran to his side and helped the two of them up, "Takato! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Takato answered, "Guilmon?"

"I'm okay!" Guilmon smiled. Sakuyamon, Justimon and MegaGargomon touched down beside them. Each of them reverted back into their original forms. Suzie immediately ran into her older brother's arms and happily cheered, "You're alright!"

"Yeah, what was that?" Henry asked Takato, "That attack."

As their team reassembled themselves, everyone approached Takato with the same question: what exactly was that last attack Barbamon used. Takato wished he could offer an answer but couldn't think of any satisfactory explanation that made sense. All he knew was Barbamon was charging an attack but it fired before he could finish. Takato immediately apologized for it, unsure himself of what happened.

"It's called Pandaemonium Lost," a shrill voice added. Everyone turned their heads in the direction of a beautiful woman dressed in pink kimono. Her hair was tied into a bun at the back of her head and held together with a beautiful golden crown. Four pairs of black demon wings grew out of her back, the last two pairs bearing a strong resemblance to spider legs, "It's an attack that only the strongest of digimon can survive. When they do, they fall under the influence of the darkness. They lose sight of the most important things."

Takato felt himself unnerved by the woman as she walked towards him. With a weak smile, she asked, "Where's NeoDevimon?"

"He's dead," Takato swallowed, "He gave his life so we could escape the Dark Ocean."

"I see," the woman remarked. It was then Takato realized her right arm was horribly mutated into a black tentacle of what is used to be, "At least you're all safe."

It was Kazu who asked the question on everyone's mind, "Who are you?"

"I am Lilithmon," she answered weakly, "Digimon Demon Lord of Lust."

At that, everyone prepared to fight Lilithmon but were stopped by her raising a hand, "If I wanted to fight you, I would have done so already. I'm here to help."

…

**Author's Note: **Hey folks. That's one more chapter over and done with. My next update will be in eight weeks on Friday, November 5th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network (PSN ID leo112358). Don't forget to check out my Resistance Sample. Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	21. To the Readers

To the Readers of Oyabun and Takato's Light

I would like to apologize in advance for missing my deadlines. I understand this demonstrates a lapse in the normal flow of the update schedule and I respect everyone's decision to bear with this lapse. That said I must ask everyone to please wait for Friday December 3rd for the next available update for both stories.

I apologize again for this development but I have been dealing with an unexpected misfortune in my own family. A member of my family recently attempted to commit suicide and my family is doing its best to cope with the near loss – trying to understand why it happened and how it can be helped. To that end, I have taken both the last week, this week, and next week to cope with stress of the situation. I will try my best to resume my normal life and work will continue on the stories two weeks from now. Until then, thank you for bearing with me.

Leonardo1123581321


	22. Paradise Lost

**Disclaimer**: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing it for him.

**Author's Note:** Good evening everyone. I apologize for the long delay in the writing and editing of this video. As I mentioned in a previous, someone in my family recently attempted to commit suicide. It hurt to know they considered it and left my entire family trying to figure out why. While no harm came to them, we're still trying to pick up the pieces and help them heal. My family and I send out our gratitude to everyone for their support during this difficult time. The distraction has limited my time to develop this story, thus potentially creating a large number of grammatical errors. This is exacerbated by my beta not replying to me yet although I hope she will have it soon. I hope you can forgive that. Normally, I would reply to reviews in this next section, but I just can't bring myself to do it this time. Therefore, I've decided to simply go ahead with the story. Please enjoy.

**Update: **My beta finally got back to me with the revised chapters. Thanks for waiting.

**Takato's Light**

**Chapter 21: Paradise Lost**

(As Seen From Sora's Perspective)

Sora sat on the couch in the apartment she and Yamato owned, silently watching the television with the occasional glance outside into the darkened streets outside, "_The areas of Shinjuku, Shinagawa, Oifuto, and Odaiba have seen the most devastation, with a death toll estimated in the thousands. With some parts of the city without working power or water, citizens have begun stocking up on supplies. In the chaos, small riots have broken out in around the Tokyo region. The Prime Minister of Japan addressed the National Diet today, urging a full deployment of the Self-Defense Force to secure the domestic peace of our nation. In international news, reports continue to come in from around the world of unexplainable natural phenomenon. The scientific community is at a lost for explanation to any—"_

Sora shut off the television when she heard the front door unlock. Yamato returned from his run to the convenience store with a box of water bottles, and a plastic bag of canned food. He set his burden down on the counter by the kitchen and groaned, "This was the last of it. The clerk almost shot me; he said the last person robbed him at knife point."

"I'm just glad you're alright," Sora smiled. Yamato leaned over the back of the couch and kissed Sora, "Have you heard anything from the others?"

"Phone lines are down," Sora answered, "And I can't get a signal on my cell. We should probably try checking in with them tomorrow morning."

"At least we still have working power. Is anything on?" Yamato asked, just in time for the lights to go out. Yamato groaned, "Great, just what we need."

"Let's go get the flashlights," Sora declared, taking Yamato's hand and guiding themselves through their darkened apartment, taking care not to trip over anything. As they traversed out of the living room, Sora noticed the hallway towards the bedroom was significantly longer than she remembered. A soft, yet eerie blue light illuminated the end of the hallway. Sora was petrified, but found herself drawn to soft blue light. She stepped ever so cautiously to the light, hoping for some reprieve from her dangerous curiosity. She was so absorbed in the light, she didn't even hear Yamato call out to her worriedly. In their daze, neither was aware of the wisps of black mist slowly enveloping their apartment.

…

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

"Why should we believe you?" Takato accused Lilithmon with a finger. Lilithmon gazed over the other digidestined solemnly, "How much did the sovereigns and our successors tell you?"

"They told us enough!" Takeru argued with the mega, "You turned to the darkness and tried to destroy the world!"

A sad smile appeared on Lilithmon's face, accompanied with a weak laugh, "You are wrong on many accounts. Please, listen to what I have to say."

"Let's just turn beat her already!" Daisuke grunted, "Paildramon!"

"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon wrapped his hands around two cannons on his hips and fired a hail of bullets on Lilithmon. With a mere wave of her hand, a barrier or pink light appeared before her and stopped the bullets in their tracks. Once Paildramon's guns would no longer fire, Lilithmon dismissed the barrier and asked, "Do I have your attention?"

"You have mine," Takeru said to the digimon, stepping forward to examine her closely. Takeru walked around Lilithmon slowly, inspecting her carefully while everyone else watched silently, "I don't know how to explain it but… I get the feeling you're not like the others."

"What are you talking about?" Ryu demanded, "Just look at her!"

Ryu was promptly slapped over the back of the head by Rika, "Bucket head's right. Something about her feels… different."

"Thanks?" Takeru answered quizzically, looking to one of the others Tamers for a hint as to whether it was an insult or a compliment. It didn't take much for all the guys to start whistling innocently; Takato immediately found his shoes to be quite interesting as soon as TK's gaze fell upon him. Rika picked up on the hesitation of the boys and punched Kenta in the shoulder.

"Why'd you hit me?" Kenta whined aloud.

"Because you were closest."

"It doesn't matter if any of you choose to believe me or not," Lilithmon sighed, "All I ask is that you listen. The fate of all our worlds rests in your hands."

"Him?" Daisuke pointed at Takato.

"You?" Jeri asked him.

"Me?" Takato pointed at himself, annoyed with how so many things kept coming back to him. Lilithmon nodded, "Yes. You have a power that none of the others share, whether or not you are aware of it. So much was sacrificed to bring you to this point, and all that is asked in return is you listen to the truth."

"I'm listening," Takato stated matter-of-factly. With a scowl of disapproval, Ken remarked, "Takato, think about what you're doing. She's an evil digimon, there's no way we can trust what she has to say."

"If she was going to hurt us, she'd have done it by now," Takato countered, "The least we could do is hear her out. Go ahead Lilithmon."

He folded his arms and listened intently as Lilithmon began her tale, "Lucemon…Lucemon wasn't always like this. He used to be a kind and loving being, loyal to the creator above all else. But as the first millennia went by, Lucemon came to a realization: he loved the creator and all his creation. He loved it so much he couldn't stand to see it eternally subjugated. In his bid to liberate the thing he cared for most, he became the very first voice of dissent against the creator: the enemy of the world."

…

(As Seen From Koushiro's Perspective)

Koushiro typed away onto the keyboard of the old computer terminal he had been given. To say it was junk was understatement in his opinion – his laptop had more power than this old thing. All the same, the opportunity to work for a government organization wasn't something he could pass up. Even if it was supposed to be a secret and had the ridiculous name of Hypnos. If he made a good enough impression, there was no doubt in Koushiro's mind that they would hire him for a full time position. He just had to do a good enough job.

The reason they had called him out was to be a consultant for their tech team and help them trace the source of recent 'fluctuations' the world had been witness to since the D-Reaper attack. Koushiro already suspected that the source was somewhere in the Digital World, but was uncertain how he would explain the idea to them. Occasionally, Koushiro propped up the lid of his laptop to check on the Digital World only to find his laptop wouldn't show anything beyond static. Continuing his work on the old computer, Koushiro overheard the others talk amongst themselves.

"Hey Curly, could you take a look at these readouts?"

"Sure…Hmm, I'm going to need a minute. If my algorithm is right, these values should give us a trajectory we can use to estimate the source of origin."

"But I'm sure we can all take a guess where it's coming from; The Digital World."

"Not so loud! Do you want that consultant Yamaki brought in to think we're nuts, Tau?"

"Does it matter? We're only running these programs to confirm what we already know. Yamaki only brought in a consultant because he thou-"

Koushiro turned to face them at this point and asked, "How do you know about the Digital World?"

"Wait, you know about the Digital World?"

"Know about it? I've been there!" Koushiro commented, reaching into his coat pocket to reveal his digivice to the so-called experts. The experts leaned in for a closer look at Koushiro's digivice, bombarding him with a series of questions.

"How long have you been a Tamer?"

"Where did you get this?"

"Where's your partner?"

"Why were you chosen?"

"IS this why you became a programmer?"

"Why aren't you with the others?"

"Wha-wha…slow down!" Koushiro pleaded with them, "What are you two talking about?"

"You have a digivice which means you must be a Digimon Tamer," the one called Curly explained, "And you've been to the Digital world before which is a bonus for us. We should have suspected Yamaki brought you in for a reason."

"I don't think-"

Koushiro was cut off by a flurry of sparks that destroyed each of the computers in sequence along with the lights, veiling the room in darkness. Koushiro wasn't entirely sure why, but the room suddenly grew ice cold. A small glimmer of blue light appeared before him and beckoned him forward. For what purpose, he didn't know but he did know it wouldn't stop calling him forward.

…

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

"Lucemon wasn't a monster, he was never a monster," Lilithmon whispered quietly, "He simply wanted to protect what he cherished most. The creator didn't look to fondly upon it and so he created ten warriors to help safeguard the world against Lucemon's betrayal. The first creations divided to either the cause of Lucemon or the creator. For a long time, the war was a stalemate. It was only when the creator struck during our moment of weakness that the tide turned in the creator's favor."

"We knew the war wouldn't be won by force, as long as the creator could simply alter reality," Lilithmon frowned, "We couldn't kill the creator so we did the next best thing. We gave our powers to Lucemon so he could challenge the creator's ability to alter reality. It was during that moment, when we were all too weak to protect ourselves that the creator reformatted us. We were reduced to floating clouds of data that the creator damned. Unable to bear the loss of those he care for most, Lucemon fought bravely by himself in a battle that shook the very foundations of existence. In the end, it wasn't enough and the creator enacted revenge for Lucemon's betrayal."

"What does any of this have to do with what's going on?" Takato demanded.

"I simply wanted you to have another perspective of the circumstances," Lilithmon frowned, "Lucemon isn't on a quest to destroy the world, like you've been told. He's fulfilling what he swore he would do a long time ago, liberate it."

"Right, and I'm sure destroying reality as we know it is part of his plan," Kenta remarked sarcastically, "Takato, are we you believing any of this?"

"After everything I've seen in the last few days, I'm not sure what I believe," Takato shrugged, a serious look on his face. He allowed Lilithmon to continue her story with a wave. Lilithmon stroked her deformed arm with two fingers, "The creator has the power to bend and warp reality to a point without harming the foundations of reality. Certain events in your worlds broke those very foundations and weakened causality. Lucemon knew this and is using it to his advantage to persistently outmaneuver the creator. To say he's…angry at the creator is an almost accurate assessment. This new Lucemon still cares for creation as much as he did before he was punished, and he still seeks to liberate it – but now he wants to undo the one thing that led to this point…he…"

Lilithmon fell silent. Her eyes ran up and down the twisted, demonic arm. In that silence, a realization dawned on Takato as he quietly asked, "What do you mean, worlds?"

"I think she means how the Digital World and the Real world are two separate worlds Takato," Ken suggested. Lilithmon shook her head, "No, I mean your two groups never met until now because both of your worlds existed parallel to each other in what you call alternate realities. Your two worlds slowly started to merge together after Black WarGreymon from your reality began destroying destiny stones and the Monster Makers of your reality used a simulation of a black hole to send the D-Reaper back into its harmless state. Your two groups were never supposed to meet, to encounter each other."

Silence.

…

(As Seen From Jo's Perspective)

"We have two more coming in!" an EMT cried aloud, "One suffered a gunshot wound to the upper left quadrant, the other was pinned against a wall by a car that span out of control."

The EMT led in two gurneys pushed by the attending aides. The first aide was about to push his patient into a prep room but was stopped by Jo. Jo placed two fingers on the inside of the patient's wrist and declared, "Don't. He's gone. Time of Death: 7:45 PM."

The aide cursed beneath his breath and adjusted the gurney, adding, "I'll take him to the morgue so a coroner can look at him."

Jo breathed a heavy and took the clipboard on the patient's gurney and began filling in the necessary documentation. Quietly, he repeated what he wrote down, "Patient DOA, time of Death 1945 hours, attending physician: Kido Jo…"

It had been the longest day of his life. He had Emergency Department clinical for the day and it was also the same day the whole world decided to go to hell. Quite literally: The digital world suddenly appeared in a blood red sky, oceans suddenly drying up, earthquakes left and right, typhoons striking out of hurricane season. On top of that, the city had no power – and the hospital was left to run on a back-up generator that made it a prime target for vandals wanting some of that electricity for themselves. If it weren't for the SDF who were called in to enforce martial law, Jo was sure the hospital would have been over run.

The rioting in the streets wasn't helping either. Random acts of violence were sending people to various hospitals in the city, all of them quickly overwhelmed. As Jo understood many hospitals were now rerouting ambulances to other hospitals, and ambulance drivers would purportedly drive all over town just to find a facility which could take new patients.

In addition, the hospitals were short staffed even with all employees present. Medical, Nursing, and Technical students were all brought in to fill in the gaps: Jo among them.

Once Jo finished the clipboard, he set it down at the nurse's station and took up the next patient's chart. He headed for the prep room as he read, where he would be dressed and gowned by one of the sterile nurses. The patient had been pinned against the wall, and suffered from severe internal bleeding just below the diaphragm, into the stomach. Inside the operating room, the second patient who was brought in lay flat on the table, rendered unconscious by the ACP. Around the patient, the rest of the OR staff waited patiently for Jo to begin, "Alright people, let's make this nice and quick. Are his vitals up?"

"We've got him hooked up to an EKG, an oximeter, and we're getting updated BP every 45 seconds," one of the nurse's replied. Jo nodded, took scalpel in hand and prepared to make the first incision, "Alright, let's get this show on the road."

Just as he put the small blade up to the patient's abdominal wall, the lights flickered on and off before going out completely. The OR staff immediately shouted out their disapproval, Jo among them, "Damn! What if it had gone off while I was inside this guy? And who turned the down the temperature?"

Jo noted the air had grown increasingly cold, which was bad for the patient if he wasn't pulled out of anesthesia quickly. Jo's entire body shivered violently as the cool air bit into his body. What possessed the facility to grow so cold all of sudden?

"Can someone turn up the temperature? Seriously." Jo pleaded.

No response answered his call. Nothing except a soft blue glow that appeared before him, as if to beckon him forward.

…

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Lilithmon paused for the longest time and answered in but a whisper, "Lucemon used the weakening in causality to his advantage by slowly forcing the weakened worlds to occupy the same area of space simultaneously. It would take time, but you've seen the end result at work."

"That's why Belphemon became part of the building that appeared out of nowhere," Takato declared aloud, everything slowly starting to click in his mind. Lilithmon frowned, "Yes. And it will only get worse if nothing he is not stopped."

"We'll stop him!" Takato promised assuringly.

"They can't stop Lucemon," Lilithmon pointed out, "You can."

"I keep hearing that," Takato frowned, "But what does it mean?"

"I wish I could explain it myself. It's something about you," Lilithmon frowned, "But even with all my powers, I do not have that knowledge."

"Great," Takato scoffed, thinking carefully about his next words, "I don't know if I'm the one who's supposed to defeat Lucemon. But I know I can't do it alone. Not without my friends."

…

(As Seen From Mimi's Perspective)

Mimi watched from her apartment room window as New York City went to hell beneath her. She was unable to get in contact with any of the digidestined in Japan or America because phone lines were down. The streets below were crawling with National Guard troopers setting up. All she knew for certain was the world was in danger: the digital world was above them, darkened skies that turned blood red, no electricity as far as the eye could see, and rioting in the streets. In the distance, the occasional crackle of gunfire could be heard, "What on earth is going on out there. I hope mom and dad are okay."

Right below her, a burst of fire shook her apartment. Someone threw a Molotov cocktail into a line of National Guardsmen, momentarily dispersing them. Soldiers caught in the blast caught flame and threw themselves about on the ground to put out the flames. Other guardsmen filled in their lines and started firing cans of gas into the crowd, "Engage! Engage!"

At first, Mimi thought they were about to attack some of the more violent members of the crowd. Instead, they began shooting at a Tyrannomon that rounded the corner of the street, "What is that thing!"

"It's not even flinching!"

"Shut up and keep shooting!"

The people down below dispersed into buildings and past the guardsmen line. The guardsmen continued to fire hopelessly at the Tyrannomon while the monster roared aloud, "Fire Breath!"

Those caught in the blast were incinerated instantly, leaving only a smoldering crater where they once stood. Devastated by what she had seen, Mimi uttered just one word, "NO!"

The Tyrannomon began firing blasts of fire towards the many people fleeing the scene, and then it turned to face Mimi's apartment. It had a deathly look in its eyes, a blood lust that sent Mimi reeling away from the window in terror.

"Fire Breath!" a blast of fire burst through her apartment window and shook the entire building. The floor beneath her gave way, trembling downward and away from the window. Mimi grabbed onto the nearest sturdy item she could find, a wall post, to keep herself from sliding downwards into the darkened apartment below. She clung for life, fearful of letting go and falling to her doom. A sudden rush of cold air chilled her to the bone and weakened her grip. Suddenly, a soft glow of blue light appeared in the distant darkness, beckoning her to let go of the wall post and come closer. Against her better judgment, she did just that.

…

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

"As it should be," Lilithmon smiled weakly, "Lucemon's forces have probably taken the Holy Angel Castle by now. As you are, the sheer numbers would overwhelm you."

"Well we're not going to accomplish anything by just sitting here," Kazu glowered impatiently, "Let's go already!"

"Not just yet," Lilithmon warned cautiously, "You mustn't throw caution to the wind. You will need an army if you wish to reach the heart of Holy Angel castle unharmed."

"And where exactly do we get an army?" Rika inquired sarcastically, "I'm sure there's an army lying around here somewhere we haven't seen yet."

"You're quire perceptive," Lilithmon replied, much to Rika's surprise. Attempting to clarify her words, she pointed out, "I was being sarcastic."

"As was I," Lilithmon smiled and pushed past Rika towards the edge of the mountain face. Her body was surrounded in a veil of bright light, "The clouds of data below, they were the creator's armies descending to defend the domain. Without them, the domain was defenseless."

"Lilithmon, what are you doing?" Takato asked. Part of him knew what she was going to do, but part of him didn't want to believe it. With a curt smile, Lilithmon said, "The power of light granted me my form as Ophanimon. Part of my punishment for treason was to be cast into darkness, without the light to guide me. I've been in darkness for so long that I feared I would never feel its warmth again. But thanks to you Takato, I think I've found it again. It only seems fair that I put right what I helped make wrong."

"Lilithmon…" Takato murmured.

With a simple wave, Lilithmon disappeared in a flash of light; leaving behind only wisps of light that scattered downward into the island below. Flashes of light lit up the island, and legions of Angemon and Angewomon ascended upwards. Two of the lights struck both Takato and Guilmon, lifting them off the ground. For a brief moment, Takato felt a searing pain on his forehead and clutched it between his hands. _Forgive_, Lilithmon's voice rang out in Takato's head. As the pain subsided, he realized the others were all at his side, looking over him with concern, "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Takato scrambled to his feet, "I just keep getting knocked down, don't I?"

"You can say that again," Kazu joked with a silly grin, "Hmm? Hey that mark on your forehead is gone."

"Let me see," Gennai asked, turning Takato towards him and putting his face awkwardly close, "I don't believe it."

"Gennai, as curious as I am about what you mean, please get your face out of mine," Takato murmured quietly, pulling his face away as Gennai's nose was just a hair away from his. He was sure it looked awkward at an angle. Gennai pulled his face away and explained, "The mark on your forehead is gone. Lilithmon allowed you to step off the secret path and into the domain."

Before Gennai could explain more, a flash of bright light below them lit up to reveal a resurrected Azulongmon who surfaced to the mountain top quickly, "Children! Have you defeated Lucemon?"

"We didn't," TK explained, "It was Lilithmon…she brought you all back."

"I see," Azulongmon paused to think carefully about the situation, "Let's not allow her sacrifice be in vain. We must stop Lucemon."

Together, with armies of angels at their side, the chosen children crossed the gates into the domain.

…

(As Seen From Jeri's Perspective)

Jeri followed the others into the domain, crossing the blinding light that emanated behind the gates and emerging in cold darkness. It was a cold and black world reminiscent of the 'Dark Ocean'. She could see no sign of Takato or the others who crossed with her – only oblivion. She panicked at first, but was calmed by the appearance of a soft blue light in the distance that warmed her being. It beckoned her to come towards it, and so she did.

...

**Author's Note: **That's all I was able to do. I apologize if it seemed short. My next update will be in eight weeks on Friday, January 28th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network (PSN ID leo112358). Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	23. The Confrontation With Lucemon

Disclaimer: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing it for him.

Author's Note: Hey Guys. This is Leonardo1123581321 reporting in. Things have returned to a state of normalcy since the aforementioned incident and I wanted to thank everyone for their support since that time. I never really expected Takato's Light to do as well as it did so I have to confess, the entire story borrows heavily from Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts in some aspects. For those who've noticed the clues, you know what I mean. The rest of you will probably hate me for my reference to Final Fantasy VII in the coming story. I don't really have much else to say except thanks to Kells for proofreading these chapters for me. It's been a while, so let's go straight to the review responses:

**Zaku-118: **Thanks for the kind words. The last few weeks have been difficult so I appreciate your patience during that time.

**Logical Fallacy: **Thank you. As I said, the last few weeks were trying and there are still some things that need to be sorted out. Fortunately, things have returned to something akin to normal and will resume at its normal pace.

**Hanzo of the Salamander: **Wait no more for the next chapter has arrived

**Light-Sakura: **Don't worry, I'm not offended. I'm just thankful for all the support my family and I have gotten in the last few weeks which have been difficult for everyone.

**Taeniaea: **Thanks

**Creepingshadow: **Good to hear from you, how have you been recently?

**Rahkesh431: **Gasp! You know too much! In all seriousness, I'm sure it was an important plot point at some point in the story but I can't seem to remember at the moment.

**Tamermary5: **Thank you so much for your praise. Don't worry; we'll see what's up with Kari soon.

**Anitoon3: **I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

There is one last thing I want to mention: this is not the final chapter of Takato's Light! There will be more. Now sit back and enjoy the next chapter of Takato's Light:

Takato's Light

Chapter 22: The Confrontation With Lucemon

(As Seen From Yamaki's Perspective)

"OPEN FIRE!" Yamaki yelled into his radio. He heard a flurry of gunfire around him concentrate on the monster digimon that appeared before them. As he recalled, this one was called DarkTyrannomon by Kazu and Kenta. It had little effect on the towering monster which cracked a tired yawn and whipped its tail around on, throwing civilian and soldier alike flying around. The secure perimeter Yamaki had worked hard to keep rioters away from the National Diet Building was falling apart and all it took was a lone digimon to do it.

Yamaki stepped away from the monster, firing his 9mm handgun at the creature in the hopes of scaring it away, "All units, engage the monster. Buy time for civilians to evacuate the area!"

People scattered left and right, some fleeing the scene while others ran into nearby buildings seeking shelter from the digimon, "What is that thing?"

"Godzilla?"

"Who cares! RUN!"

"Yamaki to sniper team, do you have a shot at the target?" Yamaki barked into his radio, ducking behind a police car and taking more pot shots.

"Negative, creature is moving too fast and there are too many civvies."

"Alright, keep it in your sights and take the first clean shot when you get it!"

Overhead, a police helicopter circled around the National Diet, a spotlight coming down right on top of the creature. Tyrannomon seemed temporarily blinded but began shooting fire balls into the air. One hit the tail rotor and sent the helicopter spiraling out of control. The pilot of the chopper screamed in terror over the radio just as the helicopter crashed into the middle of the crowded street, it's blades spinning rapidly out of control.

Yamaki watched the pilot crawl out of the wreckage and try to pull himself to safety. When the DarkTyrannomon started marching towards the pilot, Yamaki threw all reason aside and raced to the pilot's aide. As the creature opened its mouth to shoot a fireball at the pilot, Yamaki heard a sniper rifle roar. The shot hit the creature square in the eye and it howled in pain, shooting fireballs harmlessly into the sky - illuminating the dark streets.

Yamaki reached the pilot and helped the pilot stand, aiding him in moving into a nearby building. As the two hobbled out of harm's way, Yamaki looked skyward to the familiar sight of the Digital World, now consumed in a veil of darkness.

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Azulongmon led the charge through the gates, tackling two Devidramon head on. The Angemon and MagnaAngemon followed after him, pushing forward through the legions of Lucemon's own forces. It made way for a line of Angewomon using celestial arrow to pick off stragglers and concentrating their attacks whenever larger enemies appeared. The angel digimon pushed their foes from the main gates and pursued them around the cloudy terraces.

Takato emerged last through the gates to find the other chosen children gazing in amazement at the sight before them. A golden palace rested at the peak of the mountain, surrounded by clouds and nine glowing spheres of assorted color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, white and black. Each orb revolved around the palace as the planets revolved around the sun. Their beauty left Takato at a loss for words to describe their magnificence.

Yet something was amiss. The black sphere didn't shine like the others. On the contrary, it appeared to have lost its radiance - as if it were dead. As the spheres circled around the palace and came back towards them, Takato noticed there was a symbol on the closest sphere: A heart.

"That's the symbol of the Crest of Love," Miyako observed.

"And those are the symbols of the crests of Courage, Friendship, Knowledge, Reliability, Sincerity, Hope, Kindess, and Light," Takeru added.

Indeed they were. The orbs of light were glowing. It was the black orb marked with the so-called Crest of Courage. With it, the orb marked with the crest of light was dimming to

"What do you suppose they're doing on those orbs?" Ken pondered aloud, scratching his chin. Takato wondered the same exact thing, but couldn't dwell on the matter as long as he'd like.

"Hey guys, I hate to interrupt but I think we're missing someone," Gennai noted, counting the people present on his fingers. Takato looked around himself and came to a sudden realization, "Where's Jeri?"

Jeri was missing from the group. Takato looked back at the gate but saw no sign of her. It was if she simply disappeared. As worry worked its way through Takato's mind, a voice echoed in his mind, She is with us. If you want her, you'll just have to come and find me.

"Lucemon has her," Takato said quietly, his hand tightening into a fist. Guilmon looked at his partner with concern, "Takatomon?"

"We have to hurry guys," Takato said through gritted teeth, "He has Hikari and Jeri."

"How do you know?" Ken asked. Takato looked at him and the others, each with a curious expression on their eyes, "I've been... hearing Lucemon's voice in my head for a while now."

"WHAT!" was the collective gasp they all had, "Why didn't you tell us this?"

"I didn't think it was important," Takato answered defensively, "Can we talk about this another time? We still need to find Lucemon."

"Takato's right," Daisuke said slamming a fist into his palm, "We'll talk about it another time. Lucemon has still got Hikari. Besides, I'm not going to sit around and wait for the world to end."

"Then let's go," Takato frowned, leading the way towards golden gates of Holy Angel palace. The doors were large and ajar just far enough to allow one person to slip through at a time. Takato, Daisuke, Ryu, and Kazu tried to pull one of the doors open. They pulled the door as hard as they could but found it too heavy to move.

"It won't budge," Kazu commented as he lost his grip and fell backwards onto the ground. Daisuke was the second one to lose his grip, falling beside Kazu and groaning, "That door is stuck."

"It looks like we'll have to squeeze through one at a time," Ken noted, peering through the crack between the doors. He slipped through the door first, followed by each of the digidestined and tamers one by one. Takato and Guilmon were the last to slip through the crack, finding an entrance hall veiled in darkness on the other side. The only source of light came from a door on the far end of the hall where the sound of music echoed aloud. All of the tamers unanimously pulled out their D-Arcs when they simultaneously hummed to life. Takato peered at his, which pointed in the direction of the noise while trying to scan what was up ahead, but could only reveal static. Takato already had a good idea what was ahead though.

They crept towards the door in silence, the only sound came from the fighting outside and the music from the end of the hall: violins, trumpets, trombones, tympanies, violas, oboes, flutes, clarinets, and a choir chanting the same lines over and over again:

Estuans interius ira vehementi! Estuans interius ira vehementi! Lucemon! Lucemon!

Sors immanis et inanis! Sors immanis et inanis!

Estuans interius ira vehementi! Estuans interius ira vehementi! Lucemon! Lucemon!

Sors immanis et inanis! Sors immanis et inanis!

Veni veni venias! Ne me mori facias!

Veni veni venias! Ne me mori facias!

Veni veni venias! Ne me mori facias! Gloriosa! Generosa!

Veni veni venias! Ne me mori facias! Gloriosa! Generosa!

Lucemon! Lucemon!

They found an auditorium on the other side of the door. A philharmonic orchestra made of hooded sat upon a grand stage opposite where they stood. The hooded figures played their instruments to the motions of a blonde haired man with wings dressed in a long brown trench coat. Bandages covered every inch of the man's body, unfurling as he waved both his hands around in the air to lead the orchestra.

Takato's was fixated on the orchestra until Miyako gasped aloud and pointed just above the orchestra, where seven people and six digimon were crucified to crosses hanging from the ceiling. A quick glance told him they were: Jeri, Agumon, Sora, Biyomon, Yamato, Gabumon, Koushiro, Tentomon, Jo, Gomamon, Mimi, Palmon. and Hikari. They were yelling and shouting at the conductor, pleading for him to let them go and stop what he was doing. It didn't take long for Takato to realize the conductor was Taichi/Lucemon.

"Taichi!" Daisuke shouted, stopping the orchestra mid note. Taichi/Lucemon turned around to face them. Strange markings covered his exposed skin, and his ears transformed into wing like appendages. Taichi had transformed into a grotesque angelic mockery of his former self, "I knew you'd come. Such a good boy; leading everyone here."

"Lucemon! This ends here!" Takato yelled aloud. Lucemon cocked his head to the side and calmly replied, "Do you truly expect to defeat me?"

"Lilithmon, NeoDevimon, everyone believed I could," Takato answered, "And I believe my friends and I can!"

"This disease called hope is eating you alive," Lucemon answered, "If you do not wish for me to rid you of your flaws, then you shall drown in the pain. On your knees! BEG FOR MY FORGIVENESS!"

On cue, everyone digivolved their digimon to their highest level.

Hawkmon! Digivolve to! Aquilamon

Aquilamon! Gatomon! DNA Digivolve to! Sylphimon!

Patamon! Digivolve to! Angemon!

Armadillomon! Digivolve to! Ankyllomon

Ankyllomon! Angemon! DNA Digivolve to! Shakkoumon!

Veemon! Digivolve to! ExVeemon!

Wormon! Digivolve to! Stingmon!

Stingmon! Digivolve to! Paildramon!

Paildramon! WarpDigivolve to! Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!

Impmon! Warp Digivolve to! Beelzemon

Renamon! BioMerge to! Sakuyamon!

Terriermon! BioMerge to! MegaGargomon!

Cyberdramon! BioMerge to! Justimon!

Guilmon! BioMerge to! Gallantmon!

Gallantmon! Digivolve to! Gallantmon Crimson Mode!

Gallantmon, Justimon, MegaGargomon, Sakuyamon, Imperialdramon, Shakkoumon, Sylphimon, MarineAngemon, Guardromon, and Beelzemon charged Lucemon at once. Lucemon didn't so much as flinch at the sight. With a snap of his fingers, the digimon were thrown backwards against the wall. Gallantmon pushed himself off the ground, refusing to lose so easily to Lucemon. He charged forward again, ignoring the cry from Sakuyamon to wait, and raised his sword above his head. As he brought it down, Lucemon punched him in the stomach and sent him flying backwards into the back wall again, "Relax, Takato. It will all be over soon."

"We're going to stop you Lucemon," Gallantmon warned, pushing himself back up onto his feet.

"You understand so little," Lucemon chuckled, "Come and try!"

Before Gallantmon could charge again, Justimon appeared behind Lucemon and raised his mechanical arm against the Mega, "Trinity Arm!"

In the blink of an eye, Lucemon dodged the punch and appeared behind Justimon. Lucemon grabbed Justimon's scarf and spun his around before releasing him into the air. Justimon crashed against the ceiling and fell to the floor motionless.

"Spirit Strike!"

"Mega Barrage!"

Sakuyamon and MegaGargomon attacked next, each unleashing a flurry of missiles and fire upon Lucemon. Lucemon raised his hand up as the missiles impacted on their target. The explosion kicked up a gust of wind that knocked the teens and the smaller digimon off their feet. Were it not for Imperialdramon and shielding everyone beneath his wings, they surely would have been blown away by the combined attacks of Sakuyamon and MegaGargomon. For a moment, there were cheers of triumph. Lucemon appeared to have been defeated and they all cheered triumphantly.

Their jubilation was spoiled by the orchestra suddenly starting from the beginning of the song again, their tune becoming faster and more violent. Lucemon/Taichi burst through the smoke, grabbing Sakuyamon by the head and throwing her into MegaGargomon. The two megas crashed into Shakkoumon and the three crashed through the wall behind them into the main hall. Takeru and Iori were quick to run to their digimon's aid, while Lucemon quickly turned his attention to Gennai. He pinned Gennai against a wall, putting a hand to his face and coldly smiling, "Good to see you, traitor. It's been a while."

"Lucemon," Gennai spat back. Gallantmon processed that in his mind for a second,

"Grand Cross," was all Lucemon uttered back. A bright flash enveloped both of them, blinding everyone momentarily. As their vision returned, all they could see was a cloud of data around Lucemon that used to be Gennai. Lucemon laughed at his triumph and returned his attention to the teenagers, "Wasn't that fun?"

"Gennai, NO!" Daisuke growled out loud, "Imperialdramon! GET HIM!"

"POSITRON LASER!"

A beam of energy shot out of Imperialdramon's arm and came straight at Lucemon. All it took Lucemon to overcome the attack was a snap of his fingers, causing the laser to vanish from sight. Lucemon smiled confidently but was brought back when he found himself kicked forward by Sylphimon. Sylphimon unleashed a storm of kicks and punches on Lucemon, who expertly dodged each hit before taking the offensive. All it took was one toss to throw Sylphimon to the ground.

"So strong," Sylphimon murmured before sliding into unconsciousness. Lucemon laughed at her defeat and raced towards the recovering Shakkoumon. Shakkoumon saw the coming attack and fired red beams of light from its eyes, "Justice Beam!"

Lucemon weaved through the attack and found his way behind the ultimate. With a flick of the wrist, Lucemon sent Shakkoumon falling to the ground with a thunderous crash. Seeing the larger digimon defeated so easily, Beelzemon stepped in next to fight Lucemon. Beelzemon ran along the walls of the room, firing shots at Lucemon who simply raised his hand to meet each attack. As if to make a testament to Lucemon's power, the attacks were absorbed and returned to Beelzemon who flipped mid air and drew his shotgun from his boot strap. As Beelzemon squeezed the trigger, Lucemon appeared before him and punched him in the face. Beelzemon fell to the floor with a ground breaking crash.

Lucemon reveled in his victory and laughed. With another snap of his fingers, the digimon partners were devolved back into their rookie forms. Everyone's digimon, with the exception of the biomerged tamers, were reduced to their rookie forms. Sylphimon, MegaGargomon, and Justimon pulled themselves together and rejoined Gallantmon.

"He's too strong," Sylphimon noted, "What do we do?"

"What can we do?" MegaGargomon asked, "He'll just blow us away with a snap of his fingers."

"Well giving up isn't going to solve anything," Gallantmon remarked, charging forward again, "Lucemon, you'll pay for what you've done."

Gallantmon leapt into the air, raising his sword above his head, preparing to bring it down on Lucemon when Jeri and Hikari appeared before Lucemon. Gallantmon caught himself midswing and crashed into the stage, landing at the feet of one of the hooded violin players. The orchestra continued as if Gallantmon wasn't even there, Sors imanis et inanis!

Lucemon held the two girls up before him, coldly explaining, "Fighting was a mild distraction, but now it bores me. So, let's make it interesting. These two are the women you love. Between the three of you, one must die. Choose!"

"No you don't!" Sakuyamon screamed, racing with Justimon to stop Lucemon. With but a glance over his shoulder, Lucemon sent Sakuyamon and Justimon flying backwards into MegaGargomon. The trio fell backwards into the wall behind them and were transformed back into digimon and partner.

"There's no need for distractions," Lucemon chimed, "Where were we? Oh yes!"

"Lucemon, don't do this!" Takato growled. The floor around Lucemon gave way to reveal a pit of fire below. Gallantmon could feel the heat from where he stood. He heard both Jeri and Hikari pleading with Lucemon to stop but Lucemon ignored their cries. Instead he uttered two words, "Now CHOOSE!"

"NO!" Gallantmon screamed as Lucemon released both girls. Time slowed to a crawl as Hikari and Jeri fell into the pit below. Gallantmon knew he wouldn't be fast enough to save both of them, but there was no way he could choose between either. What was he supposed to do? Save Hikari or save Jeri? He couldn't choose, there was no way he could choose one over the other. But Guilmon... Guilmon could save both! Gallantmon undid the Biomerge, turning back into Guilmon and Takato, "Guilmon go!"

"Right!" Guilmon cheered, diving down into the pit. Takato began sifting through his deck and pulled out the two cards he was looking for. Takato raised his D-Arc over his head and swipe the cards through the card scanner on the side, "Aero Wing Activate! Speed Boost Activate!"

Guilmon sprouted wings and took up speed, flying towards the two falling girl and reaching out to both of them. Although the fall was only a few seconds, it seemed to last forever for Guilmon and the girls who desperately reached out to grab Guilmon's claws. After a free fall that seemed to last an eternity, Guilmon eventually wrapped his claw around Jeri and Hikari. Guilmon used all his might to change directions, barely scratching the fiery lava below. As Guilmon began his ascent, he pulled both girls onto his back.

"Thank you, Guilmon!"

"Thanks so much!" Both girls hugged Guilmon, making him blush momentarily.

Takato breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Guilmon appear out of the pit with both Hikari and Jeri riding safely on his back. His reassurance was broken by the sound of Taichi/Lucemon's voice behind him, "As I said, between the three of you - one must die."

It dawned on Takato too late that Lucemon had said three. He felt a hand wrap itself around his head and heard Lucemon say, "Grand—"

...

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Guilmon set down and allowed both girls to climb off his back.

"Hikari!" Gatomon squealed, jumping into her partner's arms, "I'm glad you're alright."

"Same here, Gatomon," Hikari answered back.

"NO!" she heard her brother cry out in anguish. She turned to see Taichi/Lucemon clutching at his head beside a confused Takato who was on the ground watching with fascination. Taichi/Lucemon screamed out loud again and started babbling what seemed like nonsense to himself, "I won't be used for this! Go back to sleep! You won't lay a finger on my friends! Silence! Get out of my head! This is MY BODY!"

A cloud of data began to appear around Taichi. It dawned on Hikari instantly that her brother was starting to fight Lucemon's possession. Come on Tai, she thought to herself as her brother fell to his knees and screamed out loud again. He fell to his knees still grabbing at his head. The data cloud grew in size as his hair slowly returned to its normal hue of brown and the wings on his back receded back into his body. Eventually, the cloud of data broke free of Taichi's body and he fell to the ground gasping for breath.

"Taichi!" Hikari screamed running to her brother's side right away, "Are you alright?"

"Hikari?" Taichi asked, looking into her eyes. Taichi was pale, and looked tired but still managed to wrap his arms around his sister, "I saw everything he did. I'm sorry. I wasn't there to protect you. I should've been there. I'm so sorry!"

"Don't cry Taichi," Hikari said to her brother as she saw the tears begin to form in his eyes.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" Mimi asked. Hikari looked around her to see the original digidestined on the ground where they had been crucified just moment's ago.

"You guys are alright!" Takato said in amazement, "But... how?"

"We were hoping you could explain that to us," Koushiro explained, "One second I'm in Shinjuku, next thing I know I'm crucified and Tai is... whatever he was."

Their reunion was cut short by the wails coming from the orchestra, who cried out in despair at their fallen master.

"Lucemon! Come back to us!"

"We've waited so long!"

"Please! Deliver us!"

"I shall deliver you," Lucemon's voice boomed, "Deliver yourselves to me! And we shall be whole once more!"

"Yes! Lucemon! Take us!"

"Deliver us!"

"Bring us back to your graces!" the hooded figures cheered as they dissipated into clouds of data and were absorbed into the cloud of data that had escaped Taichi just moments ago. Everyone looked on in amazement and the cloud of data grew larger before taking shape: the shape of a man with angel wings on one side and demon wings on the other. There was a blinding flash of white light followed by the sound of laughter as a man appeared through the haze of light, "Good to see you all."

Before Hikari could respond, she found herself and the others thrown around the room and pinned against the back wall.

...

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Lucemon looked completely different now; his hair was still blonde but was now long and flowing. The right side of his body consisted of angel wings while the left side of his body was made of demon wings. His entire body was dressed in a white leotard beneath gold and jet black armor. With a loud voice he cried out, "Lucemon Chaos Mode!"

Lucemon spent a good few minutes cracking his knuckle and stretching every limb as if he had not been allowed to move in a long time, "It's been a while since I've had the freedom to move in my own body."

"No way! The creator destroyed your body!" Takato argued with Lucemon. Lucemon smiled, "I've absorbed the data of thousands of digimon in the last few hours. I'm at a level of power far beyond where I was when the creator gave birth to me! It is not beyond my abilities now to create a new one for myself!"

"Then why did you possess Taichi!" Takato demanded of the digimon.

"I needed a host to bide my time and gain more power," Lucemon answered, "In that time... Beelzemon, Leviamon, Belphemon, Daemon, and Barbamon... they gave themselves to me because they believed I could end the creator's cycle for good. I won't be stopped here!"

"Then tell me one thing," Takato said in reply, "Why? What's the point in doing all this? Lilithmon said you loved all of creation, so why are you trying so hard to destroy it!"

"Did she tell you this isn't the first time we've met it combat," Lucemon asked. Takato lowered his eyes and demanded, "What do you mean not the first time we've fought?"

Lucemon went on to explain, "We have fought before, thousands of times to be exact. We are all pawns in the creator's game. I'm merely trying to break free! To end that cycle! The Digital Hazard doesn't just destroy the Digital World! It destroys all worlds. The worlds cry out in anguish over their impending destruction. I will be the savior of all worlds."

"So, what? You're going to save it by destroying it!" Takato barked back.

"They had faith in me," Lucemon murmured, "They believed I could end this here."

"Your minions?" Takato accused

"My friends," Lucemon answered.

His words struck Takato as perplexing. My friends– was Lucemon truly capable of having any friends. Lucemon was supposed to be the epitome of evil but he just referred to his servants as his friends. Takato was unable to tell if he was lying or not but knew one thing for certain: he wasn't going to allow the destruction of everything.

"I may not know what this is all about," Takato began. He held up his D-Arc and biomerged with Guilmon to become Gallantmon Crimson Mode, "But ending everything isn't going to solve anything! I'll stop you!"

"If that's what you wish," Lucemon began, "Cling to your doomed existence."

Lucemon snapped his fingers again, and the room around them shattered like glass. It left nothing but a void of heavenly clouds spiraling into oblivion behind Lucemon. Lucemon pointed a hand upwards, clouds darkened and thunder rolled as lightning flashed. Gallantmon looked over his shoulder to see the others trapped in glowing spheres each marked with a different crest. Gallantmon couldn't remember their names of the top of his head but it wasn't important at the moment.

Lucemon rushed Gallantmon instantly. Gallantmon raised his sword and rushed forward as well. As Gallantmon closed the distance, he raised his sword and brought it forward to stab Lucemon. It almost seemed as if he would win the battle here and now. What he didn't expect was Lucemon to dodge the attack with ease, circle around and grab himself by the head. With a simple flip, Lucemon had Gallantmon on his back and threw him to the ground.

He unleashed a volley of kicks and punches, ending the barrage by throwing Gallantmon into the air. Gallantmon tried to use the momentum to recover but was unable to match Lucemon's incredible speed. It only took a second for Lucemon to appear beside him, spin him upside down and pile-drive him into the ground, "Paradise Lost!"

Gallantmon's head hit an invisible barrier. The shock of the impact had Gallantmon off balance momentarily but didn't keep him from losing focus. He saw double the number of fists as Lucemon unleashed another volley of punches and kicks. Gallantmon was unable to keep up with the attack and was thrown back again.

He hit another invisible surface hard, sending pain up every inch of his body. As Gallantmon recovered he found Lucemon high above him with his arms spread out wide, "I've thought of something to make this more interesting. Suffer despair!"

Lucemon looked up and parted the clouds around him to reveal thousands of meteors descending from the on high. As they fell Gallantmon noticed they were falling towards him. They were falling towards his friends. Gallantmon looked back and saw the first boulder just barely miss them.

Wasting no time, Gallantmon jumped into the center of the spheres and aim his sword skyward as large boulder came hurtling towards them, "Invincible sword!"

The boulder split in half before exploding into a cloud of dust. Gallantmon leapt high into the air began destroying the meteors left and right. He worked furiously, using the moment of each destroyed meteor to throw himself from one to the next. As each meteor crumbled, Gallantmon made sure it landed harmlessly away from the others to ensure they didn't come collapsing down on either the tamers or the digidestined.

As the last meteor was thrown away, Lucemon appeared again and unleashed another barrage of attacks on Gallantmon. Gallantmon's body was already numb from the pain, so he couldn't feel any of the hits from Lucemon. As Gallantmon sliped into unconsciousness, he heard Lucemon say "I'm short on time, so I must end this."

Gallantmon realized he was bound to a cross. He tried to free himself but was too tired to break his bonds. Lucemon put a hand on his head and uttered just two words, "Grand Cross!"

...

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Horror struck Hikari like a heavy weight on her chest. Gallantmon fell from the cross and changed back into Takato and Guilmon. Takato lay on the ground, his skin pale and eyes lifeless. Guilmon dragged himself to his partner and shook him, "Takatomon?"

Takato didn't answer. He couldn't answer. Hikari didn't want to believe it, she refused to believe she had lost him and there was nothing she could do to help. Lucemon took up Takato by the collar and Guilmon by the neck, crushing both of them into clouds of data. Lucemon absorbed both clouds of data and flashed another bright white light. He turned to the remaining digidestined and tamers with a satisfied smile. He landed on an invisible surface and said to them, "Powerless beings! Do not despair; it will all be over soon."

He snapped his fingers and engulfed the world around Hikari in cold darkness.

…

**Author's Note: **Don't worry! This is not the end of Takato's Light! My next update will be in eight weeks on Friday, March 25th. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or Playstation Network (PSN ID leo112358). Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	24. The Third Day

**Disclaimer**: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing it for him.

**Author's Note**: Hey guys. I know it's late. As I said in my profile, there has been issues with the site that kept me from updating. If it's any consolation, I focused all of my efforts on this final chapter. That's right, after this, Takato's Light is officially over, for now. It's been a fun ride getting here and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. There might be a sequel, there might not be. It depends on if I can find time and if people would be willing to read it. On a final note, thanks to Kells for beta-ing my chapters for me. Now on to review responses:

**Chm01: **I'm not sure if you mean the story or my ability to tell a story, but I agree in either scenario.

**Starowner: **I know, I'm sorry. Many apologies. I didn't mean to! It just happened.

**Light Sakura: **I'm not serious…uh, or evil. I'm sorry if the ending surprised you in such but don't worry. Things will be resolved soon.

**Hanzo of the Salamander: **I'm glad you like it so much.

**Alicelouise'x: **Wow. I'm glad you liked it so much. A lot of work went into this chapter so I really hope you enjoy it!

**TamerMary5: **Great, I look forward to reading Kari's Choice whenever you update it.

Anitoon3: Only one way to find out, and that's to read on fair reader.

And now, without further ado, I present the conclusion of Takato's Light:

Takato's Light

Chapter 23: The Third Day

(As Seen From Yamaki's Perspective)

"All units, rally point is the National Diet Building! Conserve ammo and fight your way here! We're not surrendering without a fight!" Yamaki barked into his radio, firing his pistol over a makeshift barricade made of an overturned police car. Beside him were two SAT agents firing their own weapons at an endless horde of strange digimon Yamaki had never seen before. Their skin was pitch black and the only feature he could made out were their glowing red eyes. With a carefully aimed shot, he put a bullet in between the eyes of one of the monsters and it disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Two more shots lifted another monster off its feet and sent it tumbling down the front steps into the Diet. He took this chance to reload his weapon with the last magazine he had. He took careful aim with his last few shots, dropping a few more monsters to little avail. With each monster he stopped, several more took its place. When he heard his gun click an empty barrel, he shouted to the other SAT agents, "I'm out!"

"Last mag! Make it count!" An SAT agent shouted back, throwing him a pistol mag. Yamaki caught in midair and reloaded his weapon one last time. He surveyed the situation quickly noted the monstrous horde extended all the way into the distance and vanished down the line of buildings. He took aim with his weapon and thought to himself, Everything rests on those kids' hands now.

...

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Cold, bitter darkness as far as the eye could see. Was he dead? He had to be. The last thing he remembered was Lucemon using his 'Grand Cross' attack. And then? Nothing. Just darkness. If this was death, it wasn't so bad. He just wish he knew where he was. Perhaps it was the Dark Ocean, but Takato wasn't sure which circle he was in.

"It's you," he heard someone say. Takato looked behind him and saw a brown haired boy dressed in a yellow shirt beneath a read coat and khakis. He wore a cap on his head backwards with goggles running along hanging just off the edges of the brim. He appeared vaguely familiar, but Takato couldn't quite place his finger on it. The boy added, "It looks like we've lost again."

"I'm sorry, but have we met?" Takato asked. Questions raced through his mind and he wanted answers to all of them: was Hikari alright, where was Guilmon, why did this guy looks so familiar, and what did he mean by again?

"Oh right," the boy mused, "You wouldn't remember because you're not the Takato I know from the last cycle."

"What are you talking about?" Takato demanded. The boy threw his hands up in the air and grinned stupidly, "Whoa... you're a little more hot tempered than the last Takato. Tell you what, why don't we go find a vending machine, grab a couple of sodas and I'll tell you all about it."

The boy walked past Takato and pointed somewhere into the black beyond, "I think I saw two that way. One of them had snacks so it's a two-for-one deal. Coming Takato?"

"Who are you?" Takato asked the boy. The boy slapped himself in the forehead and moaned, "Man, I'm an idiot; I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Takuya! Kanbara Takuya."

Takato followed Takuya for what felt like miles with nothing but silence between the two. Left to his own thoughts, Takato wondered how Takuya knew him. What did he mean by previous cycle? Had they met before and, if so, why couldn't Takato remember him? Takato thought he had just figured everything all out and now this was thrown his way. It occurred to him that the twists and turns in these revelations were becoming absurdly convoluted but he was at the point where all he could think about was Hikari. Where was she and was she alright?

After walking some distance in total silence, they eventually came to a pair vending machines standing in the middle of nowhere. Takato noted that they were both unplugged which meant neither of them were going to work. He was proven wrong when Takuya slammed his fist against the first machine and it dropped two cans of orange soda. Takuya threw him one of the cans and opened the other for himself. He emptied the can instantly, crushed it between his hands and threw it into the distance. Takato had to admit, Takuya had quite the throwing arm. As it vanished from sight, Takuya turned to Takato and asked, "So, what did you want to know?"

"Well, you can start by telling me where we are—I mean, are we dead or what?" Takato wondered. Takuya shook his head, "Nope, not even close to dead. Now if I had to say exactly where we are, my best guess would be two seconds to the left of time."

Takato immediately doubled over at the stupidity of that comment. Where did that even begin to make sense or count as an answer? Two seconds to the left of time? Was that a joke? Was Takuya making fun of him?

"Okay, okay, not the best answer," Takuya replied, "Maybe a better explanation would be outside causality."

"Let's just skip ahead to the next question: where are Hikari and the others? Are they okay?"

"That, I don't know the answer to," Takuya answered sheepishly, "Actually, I was hoping you could tell me. I wasn't in this cycle so I have no idea what's been going on. Since you're here, I can only assume we lost this cycle."

"That's another thing, what do you mean cycle?" Takato asked.

"That's a story for another time," Takuya answered, "All you need to know is that we have a plan to get you back in action."

"Whose we?"

"Y'know, us! The digidestined, the tamers, the data squad, and all the others," Takuya explained, "We're not the first two Lucemon decided to get rid of. He knows he can't beat our combined strength so he does the next best thing - he's picking us off one by one during each cycle."

"So then where did the vending machines come from?"

"Two seconds to the left time," Takuya repeated matter-of-factly, "Why we're still able to breathe without air seems like a more pertinent question than what vending machines are doing out here in the middle of nowhere."

"Okay, that's a good point," Takato answered, "How do we get out of here?"

"We don't."

"But you said you had a plan to get us out of here!" Takato pointed out.

"No, I said there's a plan to get you out of here. I don't really get it myself but I know it takes a lot of energy to restore someone to their place in reality," Takuya explained, "And I mean a lot of energy. Enough to power the real world for several months."

"How do we get that much?" Takato asked. Takuya frowned, "There were at least thirteen cycles before the current one. Because of that Lucemon absorbed the data of thirteen digimon and moved their partners here. Don't you think there should be at least thirteen other people here?"

Takato thought about it for a moment and considered for a second that Takuya might not be as good as seemed, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Takuya answered, pulling out a strange looking digivice from his pocket and showing it to Takato, "My D-Tector allows me to scan and realize data through myself. The others agreed to let themselves be scanned and converted into energy for the device. There's enough energy in it for one of us to escape."

"So why didn't you escape?" Takato asked.

"Let me say that again, there will be enough energy for you to escape after you scan me," Takuya explained, passing the D-Tector into Takato's hands, "With it, you'll be able to activate a Spirit Evolution where you inherit the abilities of a digimon. One powerful enough to challenge Lucemon."

"What will happen to you?" Takato asked.

"The D-Tector will scan me and absorb myself into it. After that, I'll die."

Takato looked at Takuya horrifically. The way in which Takuya said those words was so... wrong. He didn't even hesitate to say it. Feeling a lump in his throat, Takato croaked, "I can't do this. I don't want to do this. I'm not going to defeat Lucemon if it means killing someone, even if we just met."

"I want you to do this Takato," Takuya said plainly, grabbing hold of Takato's shoulders, "It's the only way."

"I won't!"

"If you won't do it to stop Lucemon, then do it to see Hikari again," Takuya reasoned, "If you don't do this, you'll never see her again."

"Hikari," Takato said to himself quietly. Takuya struck a nerve in Takato's heart - he wouldn't be able to see Hikari if he sat around here wasting time. Takato swallowed the lump in his throat and murmured, "What do I have to do?"

"Point the D-Tector at me and push that button in the middle," Takuya explained.

"Okay," Takato frowned, raising the device and aiming it square at Takuya. Takuya looked back at him with a smile on his face, "Don't worry about me, okay Takato. I've been ready for this for a long time."

"If I stop Lucemon, will everything go back to normal? Will you and the others come back?" Takato asked. Takuya frowned and shook his head, "I don't know. But I do know this: no matter what happens, don't give in to despair. If you do, then Lucemon will have already won."

"Thanks for the advice," Takato said appreciatively.

"You can thank me by beating Lucemon," Takuya smiled back with a thumbs up. Takato nodded and placed his thumb on the center button, as he was about to press it, he asked, "By the way, why me? Why didn't you use the D-Tector on me when I showed up and save yourself?"

"It's because of something you, or the other you, told me once," Takuya answered cheerfully, "You created Guilmon."

"I created Guilmon?" Takato repeated cluelessly.

"You told me you wanted a digimon stronger than any other digimon," Takuya pointed out, "Of course, you mentioned something about Veemon, Agumon, and Gabumon. The other you, I mean. Somehow, you're desire to have a digimon partner brought Guilmon to life."

"You're sure?"

"I am."

"Right. Takuya, thanks," Takato said. He pressed the button and watched streams of light shoot out of the end of the device. The light wrapped itself around Takuya and enveloped him in a soft glow. His body began to haze into a cloud of data. Takuya continued to smile as he dissipated into a cloud of data that the D-Tector absorbed. Once it was finished, it shook violently and fired out another beam of white light that momentarily blinded Takato.

When the world around him came into focus, he found himself outside a darkened Holy Angel Castle with black clouds circling over head just above it. An explosion cracked somewhere in the distance, shaking the ground beneath his feet and knocking him off balance momentarily. He had no idea how much time had passed but he reasoned it must have been enough for Lucemon to win his campaign. Takato gazed down at Takuya's D-Tector for a moment and tightened his grip around it, "Thank you, Takuya."

Realizing his time was short, Takato raced into the heart of Holy Angel Castle.

...

(As Seen From Hikari's Perspective)

Hikari sat huddled in a corner of her cell with Taichi and their two digimon partners: Gatomon and Agumon. Somewhere outside, she could hear Yamato playing a tune on his harmonica. It had an upbeat tune, perhaps in an attempt to keep the digidestined and the tamers in high spirits after Lucemon had executed one of their own before their very eyes.

The shock alone was too much for Hikari to bear. The boy she loved was killed right in front of her and she was powerless to do anything to prevent it. Taichi had tried to talk her out of her despair at some point, but she was unable to hear any of the words he said. Her mind was trapped in that one horrific moment, living it over and over again. Watching helplessly as the life left Takato's body from Lucemon's merciless attack. Watching as Guilmon tried to stir his partner to little avail. Watching Lucemon destroy both of them effortlessly and absorb their data.

That was three days ago.

The cells were in an observation room of Holy Angel Castle. Lucemon wanted them there so they could watch the ultimate fall of everything they cherished. For three days, he had them watch as both the Digital World and the Real World fell to Lucemon's army of followers. They were forced to watch their families and friends be hunted down and butchered by means unimaginable. Yamaki in particular made a final stand shielding a child from an attack by a DarkTyrranomon before they were both impaled by a harpoon thrown by a Divermon.

Several times, Daisuke burst into fits of rage and threatened to throttle Lucemon were it not for the bars holding him back. Lucemon or Lucemon Chaos Mode merely laughed at the display and went on his way carrying out his plan, whatever it was. At this point, it seemed his only plan was to make the digidestined suffer by forcing them to watch the horrors he was inflicting on both worlds before he sent his victims to the Dark Ocean.

And they were powerless to do anything. Lucemon had taken their Digivices, D-3s and D-Arcs to prevent them from digivolving their partners. Not that it mattered as Lucemon had already proven he could dispatch them all with ease at half strength. All they could do was wait and watch as Lucemon unleashed his fury on both worlds—on all the worlds.

...

(As Seen From Takato's Perspective)

Takato had traveled up and down the ruined halls of Holy Angel castle but was unable to find any signs of the other digidestined or tamers. He did find plenty of Devimon guarding the facility but he didn't dare to challenge them on his own. It seemed Lucemon had won his bid to conquer the Digital World. He didn't know what he was going to do or how he was going to do it but Lilithmon, NeoDevimon, Gennai, Azulongmon, and Takuya all had faith in him. He couldn't let them down.

Takato continued on his search throughout the castle for Lucemon. As he rounded a nearby corner, he walked into a pair of Devimon, "What the? A human!"

Before Takato could react, two demonic arms reached out from the floor and wrapped around his body, restricting him to the floor. Takato struggled against the arms to little avail. As the Devimon marched towards him, Takuya's D-Tector hummed to life and glowed brightly. The light blinded both the Devimon and caused them to scream out in agony. As the light dimmed, two Angemon stood where the Devimon were just a moment ago. The two angel digimon exchanged glances, the first asked, "What was that?"

"You don't suppose?" the second answered. They turned their attention to the Tamer and broke him free of his binds. At first, Takato was confused by their actions. They were about to attack him a second ago, so why were they releasing him. The Angemon pulled Takato to his feet and promptly bowed. Takato was even more confused than he was a second ago but managed to thank them, "Thanks... but why did you help me?"

"You purified us," the first answered, "Freed us from our bonds to Lucemon."

"To show our gratitude, we will take you to Lucemon. Please, purify our brethren as we find them," the second added. They rose from their seats and led the way down the halls through Holy Angel Castle. They passed through a courtyard where several Devimon, Deviwomon, and DemiDevimon were lounging away. Like before, they attacked as soon as they laid eyes on Takato and the Angemon, but were blinded by the light from Takuya's D-Tector. Once again, as the light cleared, Angewomon, Patamon, and Angemon stood in their place and they bowed before Takato.

It continued in this fashion as they traversed the halls of the castle, climbing upward through many flights of stairs until they came across grand chamber doors presided over by ten statues of different digimon Takato did not recognize. The two angemon pushed the doors aside and allowed Takato to enter first.

Takato entered through the doors and came to behold a golden throne face towards a large window pane overlooking the devastation befalling both the Digital and Real Worlds. Seated casually upon the dark throne was none other than Lucemon revelling in his apparent victory over both worlds. Lining the room were a series of cells lined filled with the digidestined, the tamers, and the digimon partners. When they saw Takato enter, a series of cheers broke out among them. A quick glance around showed him Hikari sharing a cell with her brother Taichi and their partners Agumon and Gatomon.

Taichi stirred his sister whose eyes lit up with joy upon seeing Takato. Takato smiled back at her but focused his attention upon Lucemon. Seeing as Lucemon still hadn't noticed his presence, he called out to the digimon, "LUCEMON!"

"Pathetic human," he heard Lucemon say as he rose from his throne and faced Takato, "You can't even die properly!"

"Lucemon! I'm going to stop you!" Takato growled. Lucemon chuckled to himself and answered, "Do you want more scars so badly?"

"I'm ending this here," Takato shot back, "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done! To me! To Takuya! To Guilmon! To Everything!"

"Come and try," Lucemon chuckled. Takato raced forward at Lucemon. Takato knew he was no match for Lucemon but he refused to go down without a fight. As he raced forward, he felt a warmth inside of him. It came with a flash of bright light and a sensation similar to his biomerge with Guilmon. But it wasn't a biomerge. A familiar voice was calling out to him, saying, "Spirit Evolution!"

The light surrounded Takato and became bright red armor with golden trim that covered every inch of his body. Over his head, it formed a golden helmet and around his shoulders it formed two golden pauldrons lined with crimson flame. On his back, it arched to form a golden ring. On both his hands formed the masks of Metal Garurumon and WarGreymon for his right and left respectively. Bright blue greaves and boots finished the rest of his armor. As he emerged from the bright light, a voice called out from above and cried, "SUSANOOMON!"

"What!" Lucemon growled in surprise, watching as Susanoomon raised his left arm skyward and shouted, "Celestial Blade!"

A golden sword appeared in his hand and with a swift horizontal slash, he broke all the cells holding back his friends, freeing them of their prisons. Takato, or Susanoomon, felt stronger than he had ever been as either Gallantmon or Gallantmon Crimson Mode. With another wave, a beam of energy shot out of the end of the blade and flew straight towards Lucemon. Lucemon put up his hand and split the wave into two around him, sending both waves harmlessly into the glass window behind him, "Impressive, but can you overcome me?"

Susanoomon began to swing his blade furiously as he charged forward, "Celestial Blade!"

Lucemon tore the attack apart with minimal effort but was too distracted by this feat to notice Susanoomon had closed the gap between them. With a swing of his sword, Susanoomon was able to injure Lucemon Chaos Mode slightly, forcing the ultimate to recoil backwards in shock. From his injury came a small trickle of data that Susanoomon quickly absorbed to prevent Lucemon from recovering.

"I see," Lucemon frowned, "Then I guess I don't have to hold back."

Before Susanoomon had time to contemplate Lucemon's words, he lurched forward and dragged Susanoomon along the ground face first. Lucemon then threw Susanoomon against the back wall, destroying much of the wall. Susanoomon recovered quickly, taking a moment to look himself over and realized he had survived without a scratch. Surprised at his near invulnerability, Susanoomon swung his blade one more time, "Celestial Blade!"

Another beam shot out of the end of his sword and injured Lucemon in the chest, sending the Ultimate flying backwards and recoiling from the attack. Lucemon took a moment to gather himself together, dusting himself off and sneering, "Is that the best you can do?"

"Don't take me lightly!" Susanoomon growled, "Heaven's Thunder!"

In a flash of light, a red and blue gun appeared in both hands and he fired it skyward. The projectile broke into thousands of tiny bolts of lightning that scattered throughout the room. Lucemon raised his arms up and received the impact of the attack head on. As the smoke cleared from the attack, Susanoomon was surprised to see Lucemon escape the attack unscathed.

Keeping his cool, Susanoomon launched forward again and attacked Lucemon head on with a barrage of fire from his gun. Lucemon took to the air and weaved through the attacks with ease, occasionally firing back an orb of black energy. The exchange lasted only a few seconds but seemed to take an eternity for the two combatants, ending only when Susanoomon and Lucemon both took a hit simultaneously that threw the two combatants away from each other. In seconds, they were both back on their feet and racing towards each other to exchange swift blows.

"Celestial Blade!"

"Grand Cross!"

The two attacks shook the foundation of Holy Angel Castle and blasted them away from each other one more time. As they got back up on their feet, Susanoomon said to himself, "We're too evenly matched. There's no way I can take him on my own."

"Then how about we lend you a hand?" Taichi asked, appearing beside him with Yamato, "Ready Omnimon?"

"Ready!" Omnimon raced past Susanoomon and swung his blade at Lucemon Chaos Mode, "Transcendent Sword!"

"Are you guys alright?" Susanoomon asked. Taichi nodded, "Yeah, thanks for breaking us out."

"Where did you run off to?"

"We went to get our digivices," Taichi smiled goofily, holding up his own small digivice, "Hikari's going to be really happy to see you!"

"Hikari, where is she?"

"She's with the others, getting their digivices," Taichi explained, "Now let's take care of this guy."

"Right," Susanoomon leapt into the fray between Omnimon and Lucemon. As Lucemon was far faster than Omnimon, escaping the Mega's attacks was a simple feat. He was not prepared for Omnimon to follow his attack with a blast from the cannon on his right hand, "Supreme Cannon!"

The blast of energy punched a hole through ceiling of the room and scratched one of Lucemon's left wings, "Curse you! PARADISE LOST PUNCH!"

With a simple punch, Omnimon was sent flying past Susanoomon just as Imperialdramon Fighter Mode joined the battle with Shakkoumon and Justimon, "Positron Laser!"

"Justice Beam!"

"Trinity Arm!"

The three attacks converged on Lucemon, who dissipated them with a snap of his fingers and quickly took the offensive against what should have been overwhelming numbers. With minimal effort, he dispatched Imperialdramon, Shakkoumon and Justimon. Susanoomon rejoined the battle immediately and swung his sword at the distracted Lucemon. WIth a single strike, he sliced clean one of Lucemon's upper right wings. Lucemon was taken aback by the attack.

"Celestial Blade!" Susanoomon shouted, firing more blasts of energy at Lucemon from his sword. As before, Lucemon dispersed the attacks with a snap of his fingers and smiled, "Is that all you can do?"

"Static Force!"

"Wing Blade!"

"Horn Buster!"

"Flower Cannon!"

"Vulcan's Hammer!"

"Mega Barrage!"

"Spirit Strike!"

"Double Impact!"

"Pretty Heart!"

"Guardian Barrage!"

A series of combined attacks emerged from behind Lucemon and struck him while he was momentarily off his guard. Lucemon was thrown forward into Susanoomon who took his chance to thrust his sword forward into Lucemon's chest, "Celestial Blade!"

The blade pierced Lucemon's heart.

Silence.

Susanoomon didn't want to take any chances with Lucemon surviving and held his gun up to Lucemon's face, "Heaven's Thunder!"

The blast alone was powerful enough to rip Lucemon's face in half. Despite the grotesque disfiguration befallen him, Lucemon was still able to spit, "Do you think you've won?"

"No way! He's still talking!" Daisuke's voice echoed somewhere.

"Hit him again!" Ryo's voice added, "Finish it here!"

"Do you realize what you've done! I've absorbed enough power to destroy everything!" Lucemon said shakily, "I've worked too long and too hard to achieve my goals! I won't be stopped by a few spoony children!"

"It's over Lucemon," Susanoomon declared, "You lost! Now put things back to normal!"

"Over? No, this is just the beginning," Lucemon laughed, "I will use every last ounce of my strength to make your victory short lived. I will bring the very foundations of reality crashing down upon itself! I will not let my work go to waste!"

The floor began to shake violently and Lucemon began to glow a bright color. He cried out in agony as light shot out of his eyes and mouth, blinding everyone. His voice became distorted, as if thousands of souls shared in his pain. The floor around them began to crack and crumble from the force of Lucemon's scream.

"Everyone, get on Imperialdramon!" Daisuke shouted while Imperialdramon transformed back into his dragon mode. All of the digidestined, the Tamers who couldn't biomerge with their partners, and the nonflying digimon were quick to follow Daisuke's command. Just as the last digimon climbed aboard Imperialdramon's back, the floor gave way to reveal a blackened void. All around them the world was slowly swallowed by the black void.

"Lucemon's trying to destroy everything!" Ken shouted.

"Susanoomon! Finish him! Now!" Daisuke shouted. Susanoomon took his sword and brought it up to Lucemon's neck. With a nice clean swing, Lucemon's head came off his body and both dissipated into clouds of data. Acting on instinct, Susanoomon went on to absorb Lucemon's data. With Lucemon soundly defeated, the world stopped disintegrating into black nothingness. And then silence.

"Is it over?" Miyako asked.

...

Sometime later, the digidestined and the tamers found themselves outside the ruins of Holy Angel Castle. They were all gathered at the gates into the main grounds, overlooking the devastation of both File Island and the Real World above them. Most of Lucemon's forces had retreated at the news of their leaders defeat and survivors of the battle were beginning to emerge. The survivors consisted of Azulongmon, Apollomon, a few Angemon and Angewomon, a Patamon, and two Gatomon.

"Is this it?" TK asked no one in particular.

"Oh man, this is depressing," Daisuke commented, "How many do you think made it in the real world?"

"I hope our parents made it out okay," Rika said, a sentiment they all shared. They each silently contemplated the devastation left in Lucemon's wake. As they silently contemplated the destruction around them, Azulongmon approached them and said, "Thank you for saving both our worlds. For saving all our worlds."

"It doesn't feel saved," Takato replied, gesturing to the destruction around them, "Look at all this."

"It's not impossible to make things right," Azulongmon told him.

"How?" Takato asked.

"You absorbed Lucemon's power after you defeated him," Azulongmon explained, "It's not beyond you to use his power."

"Use Lucemon's power," Takato repeated, looking down at Takuya's D-Tector which was flashing an image of Susanoomon. Azulongmon nodded his large head, "As you willed Guilmon to life, you must will all of creation to revert to its previous state. Release the energy inside of you and it will find its way to where it belongs."

"Does that mean we'll never see each other again?" Henry asked.

"We just met and now we have to say good bye?"

"That's not fair!"

"We've been through so much."

Takato wasn't concerned with any of that. He had another concern in mind, "Azulongmon. If I release that much energy... I mean... would I survive the process?"

"..."

"Azulongmon?"

"No," the dragon digimon answered, "No being, human or digimon, could survive that process. Your very being would be destroyed and you would die."

"WHAT!" was the general consensus from everyone present. They all looked from Azulongmon to Takato at a loss for words to Azulongmon's revelation. Takato paused for a moment to consider both sides. He would sacrifice to restore all the worlds. That seemed like the obvious choice and it was his duty as a tamer... no as a digidestined, to do that. But if he did, he wouldn't be able to be with Hikari - his sole motivation during the entire ordeal. It didn't take him long to make his decision, "Okay..."

"WHAT!" again was the reaction from the others. Takato didn't blame them for being surprised.

"Gogglehead! Are you nuts!" Rika was the first to snap at him, hitting him on the head with a sharp jab of her fist. Takato took the hit but didn't even flinch, much to Rika's shock. Thankfully, Henry was ready to talk sense into her, "Let it go Rika."

"But—"

"I said let it go," Henry stated with a cold stare, "I'm sure Takato has his reasons."

"I do," Takato said, looking past Rika and Henry towards Hikari. He took Hikari by the hand and led her away towards the shoreline of File Island. As they left, Takato heard TK quietly say, "Let it go, Daisuke."

They walked together in silence, hand in hand, alone. As much as Takato enjoyed being together with Hikari, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to her. He loved her, and here he was about to throw away any chance of them being together.

"Takato, wait," Hikari finally said as they finally came to the beach, pulling her hand free of Takato's. Takato stopped to face her, "What's wrong Hikari?"

"What's wrong? How can you say that when you're about to..." she sputtered as the tears started rolling down her eyes, "Why... why would it end like this?"

"Hikari..." Takato said as Hikari cried. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around HIkari and hugged her, "I know... I don't want it to end this way either."

He felt a lump in his throat as his eyes became misty and wet. He tried to keep himself from crying and maintained his composure, for Hikari's sake. He couldn't help himself though. He wanted to cry more than anything. Why him? Why did he have to die?

The two of them cried together for some time. When their tears finally dried, they opted to spend the rest of their time together. Given the current circumstances, Takato felt walking down the shoreline would be the best option. The beach wasn't exactly beautiful, given the circumstances. The sandy shore was still scarred with the signs of battle and little clouds of data still floated around. Nevertheless it didn't distract them from what was important at the time: each other. They walked on in total silence, hand in hand and occasionally exchanging glances. It wasn't much but Takato would prefer to spend as much time he had left alone with Hikari than with anyone else.

When they had completed an entire lap around the island, Takato felt they had walked on enough and stopped in his tracks, "Hikari, it's time."

"What! But we...!"

"I know," Takato stopped her. He put his hands on his shoulders and kissed her on the cheek, "I'm sorry."

"Takato," she murmured quietly, "Please..."

"I'm glad I got to spend my last moments with you, Hikari," Takato said. Then something happened that Takato didn't expect. Hikari pressed her lips against his in an impassioned kiss. It was ecstasy for Takato who quickly found himself pulling Hikari close to him. They were locked in their heartfelt display for what felt like an eternity, and Takato hoped it would stay that way. When they finally broke away from each other, they exchanged brief smiles.

"Good bye, Hikari," were Takato's final words. There was a flash of bright light.

...

(Epilogue)

Three months on, everything had returned to normal. Azulongmon informed the digidestined and the tamers that it would take time for their worlds to separate into their natural state and that they should spend as much time together as possible to enjoy what little time they had left together. And that's exactly what they did whenever they got the chance.

Those who been killed during the rampage of Lucemon's forces were brought back to life. The unfortunate souls trapped in Lucemon's twisted version of the Dark Ocean had been freed and returned to where they belonged, with no memories of their suffering. Yet somewhere, in the dark corners of the Digital World, Lucemon's forces were rallying together and biding their time. Gennai believed them to be of little threat without their leader but the Tamers and Digidestined returned to the Digital World whenever they were needed to fight off their forces.

Takato was on all of their minds, but they couldn't admit that in public or around anyone who didn't know the truth. As far as the general public was concerned, Takato was a terrorist involved with the D-Reaper attack on Tokyo. Yamaki had tried pulling some strings to bury the story or at least reverse the government's stance to little avail; public opinion was already too convinced of one condition over the other. The opposite was true in the Digital world where Takato was hailed as a hero for saving both worlds and restoring things to their natural order.

But none missed Takato more than Hikari, whom had grown quiet since the events that took place. The others suspected she was still recovering emotionally. Upon Taichi and Takeru's insistence, Daisuke backed off from pursuing Hikari. Rika, Ai, Miyako, Mimi and Sora insisted her emotional recovery was something only she could accomplish. It would have surprised them to know Hikari was content with the way things were despite her loss. Although their time together was short, she would always treasure the brief moments of time they had together. On some days, she could be seen smiling to herself as she thought about their time together.

...

Author's Note: That's it folks! Stay tuned for an update on Friday, May 20th. I will decide by then if there will be a sequel or not. If you loved the story, leave a comment in the reviews section. I also welcome constructive criticism and analysis into the next chapter of the story. If you are attending Northern Illinois University and would like to chat, just PM me and we can meet face to face! Or add me on the Facebook or the Playstation Network (PSN ID leo112358). Until next time, this is leonardo1123581321 signing out!


	25. Author's Afterword

Disclaimer: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02 and Digimon: Tamers belong to Bandai and Takato's Light is a story idea belonging to creepingshadow. I merely adopted the story and am currently writing it for him.

**Takato's Light**

**Author's Afterword**

Hey folks. It's been a wonderful last 3 years writing this fan fiction, and this story has seen some wonderful development since its initial inception. Fellow author creepingshadow originally approached me three years ago with a request to write a TakatoxHikari cross over fiction. I was skeptical at first writing the story because I had no experience writing a romance and wasn't very fond of too many high school romance dramas out there so to be approached to write one was a little surprising.

**Outlining The Story**

Nevertheless, I set out right away to outline a story that I could write. At the time, I was watching an anime known as Code Geass and a lot of my ideas started to come off of that. Specifically, the parts about high school romance and slice of life stuff. To be honest though, this is a digimon story. You can't have a digimon story without digimon and that became something of a problem, trying to write a high school romance without detracting too far from the 'saving the world' nature of the DIGIMON franchise.

I hit a bit of writer's block with the plot after the reunion/picnic story arc. I tried to figure out where to go after that but couldn't figure out what to do, so I opted to write the story right away and worry about what to do next when I got to that point. What do you know? I got to the reunion sub plot with no clue what to do next! Around that time, I started to wing the story with ideas to keep the plot going until I came across a couple of fun games known as Dante's Inferno and Dissidia: Final Fantasy. I looked more into the poem known as the Divine Comedy, which Dante's Inferno was based off. After playing those games, I started to know the direction I wanted to take Takato's Light. The rest is history.

**Abandoned Plot Lines**

There were several sub plots I initially began but never fully followed due to time inconveniences or other factors. Some are more obvious than others, such as the Koushiro's troubles with his college project and a potential romance between Koushiro and Taichi's room mate. I abandoned the former because of time constraints and the latter because I'm not really big on pairings between main characters and original characters. Another sub plot I abandoned was the cause of Taichi's personality changes and their relationship to Sora and Yamato. This time, I abandoned it because I was already invested in a love triangle between Takato, Jeri, and Hikari. I wasn't sure I could afford to be bogged down by another love triangle, when the first was complicated to write about.

One abandoned plot I was really sad I could never get around to was a relationship between Taichi and a female OC loosely based off of Kino from the novel series 'Kino's Journey'. I abandoned this plot for a variety of reasons: first it would detract from the main relationship between Takato and Hikari. Second, it would result in a relationship between an OC and an actual character which I am strongly opposed to. Finally, time restraints really bogged down my ability to develop this idea beyond just a concept. These are just some of the plots I discontinued because they would detract from the main story.

I did have one plot I wanted to use a one shot prequel that would tie-in to Takato's Light. It was going to be a Christmas special but time constraints prevented from ever working on it. Maybe one day, I'll get to it but it's been put on hold for the time being so that I could focus on other projects.

**Thanks to my Editors**

A practice I took with me while writing Oyabun was to ask a friend of mine to edit the stories before I posted them on the site. Initially, I sent the chapters to fellow author creepingshadow. However, there would always be a few days delay between our communications and, over time, it became impractical because the days long delays would often interfere with the update schedule of Takato's Light. To counter this, I immediately recruited a close friend I could trust with ensuring the grammar and maintaining the continuity of the story. Unfortunately, this also became impractical because she left the University so she could study closer to home.

I spent the next several chapters handling all the editing personally for each chapter until I could find another editor. Around this time, i ran into an old friend I hadn't seen in a while who agreed to edit Takato's Light and my other fanfiction for me. She stuck with me for the rest of Takato's Light and I've been grateful to her for helping me since. To my editors, past and present, thank you.

**Music Playlist**

While I was writing the story, I had a secret music playlist I listened to which help me stay focused whenever writing the story. As with all of my fanfictions, I tried to pick a specific song that would act as a theme I would listen to every time I started another chapter. There were a lot of songs I listed to at the time, but I eventually settled on 'World End' from Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 because I was really into Code Geass at the time and I felt the lyrics of the song fit the nature of the story. And, yes, I do have a playlist that I listen to when writing Oyabun. With Takato's Light done, I no longer have any need to keep this playlist to myself. So, for the first time, I would like to share this playlist with you dear readers:

'World End' - Flow - Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 Opening Theme - 3:48 (Used for Every Chapter)

'Lazy Afternoons' - Yoko Shimomura - Kingdom Hearts II Soundtrack - 1:40 (Used for Chapters 1-3, 6-7, 9-11)

'Sinister Sundown' - Yoko Shimomura - Kingdom Hearts II Soundtrack - 1:14 (Used for Chapters 4-5, 8)

'Night of Fate' - Yoko Shimomura - Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack - 2:07 (Used for Chapters 12-13)

'The Promised Land' - Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Soundtrack - 2:52 (Used for Chapter 14 - First Part)

'Scherzo di Notte' - Yoko Shimomura - Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack - 1:49 - (Used for Chapter 14 - Beelzebumon Fight)

'Destiny's Force' - Yoko Shimomura - Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack - 2:50 - (Used for Chapter 15)

'Heavy Resistance' - Joris De Man - Killzone 2 Soundtrack - 1:33 - (Used for Chapter 17-18)

'Donasdogama Micma' - Garry Schyman - Dante's Inferno Soundtrack - 1:51 - (Used for Chapter 19 - First Part)

'Call to Arms' - Gerard Marino - God of War III Soundtrack - 2:41 - (Used for CHapter 20 - First Part)

'Fighting Fate' - Masashi Hamauzu - Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack - 2:27 - (Used for Chapter 20 - Battle with Barbamon)

'Ragnarok' - Masashi Hamauzu - Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack - 3:46 - (Used for Chapter 21)

'Song of Prayer' - Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy X Soundtrack - 0:43 - (Used for Chapters 22-23)

'The World's Enemy' - Kazuhiko Toyama - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack - 3:26 - (Used for Chapter 22 - Battle with Lucemon)

'Advent: One Winged Angel' - Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Soundtrack - 6:59 - (Used for Chapter 23 - Battle with Lucemon)

'Hikari (Instrumental Version) - Yoko Shimomura - Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack - 1:10 - (Used for Chapter 23 - Second Part)

'Hikari' - Hikaru Utada - Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack - 5:04 - (Used for Epilogue)

**The Reason You're All Here**

Eight weeks ago, I ended Takato's Light and I'm sure you've all been wondering whether or not I will continue Takato's Light. I could spend forever wasting your time with cheap banter that fills empty space to prolong whether or not I reveal if there is a sequel or not. Or I could just give it all away. Personally, I've never been a very patient man, so I'm just going to share with you my plans for the future of Takato's Light:

**The Future of Takato's Light**

The great battle between light and dark,

Ends in light's favor for the first time.

For now, light shines upon the worlds real and digital.

But the brighter the light,

The greater the shadow!

The cycle is not yet over.

The boy and his partner,

Endowed with the Creator's power,

Had the strength to slay me.

My body is gone,

But my will survives!

The creator's greatest punishment,

Will also be the creator's greatest undoing!

Twice I've underestimated them.

They slew the King in the last cycle,

and myself in this cycle.

I cannot herald the next cycle,

So I will bide my time!

I may have lost my body,

But I saved two for my own purposes, a human and a digimon!

Conquest! War! Famine! and Death!

Together, we will herald the end of all things!

The end has begun!

If you haven't figured it out by now: yes, there will be a sequel. Come back in 12 weeks on August 12th for the first chapter of Takato's Light 2: Hikari's Hazard.


	26. The Sequel is Up!

Hey folks.

Takato's Light 2: Hikari's Hazard is now live and in the story section of my profile. Just go on over there to get a reading. I hope to see you all there!

Leonardo1123581321


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